Star Fox Adventures: Reimagining
by USEChairman
Summary: Following Andross' defeat on Planet Venom, the Star Fox team has been down on their luck. So when General Pepper contacts the team with a mission, Fox McCloud is more than happy to accept. Little does he know, that this mission on the strange world of Sauria will be more dangerous and more rewarding than he could imagine.
1. Prologue

_**Preface:** Star Fox Adventures has always been a personal favorite of mine, ever since I first played it as a child. However, as I've aged, I've come to realize that the story, due to the game's limitations and development, has a good amount of flaws and plotholes. So, I have decided to try my hand at reimagining the story in the way I might have done it._

 _Now, please remember, this is only a reimagining. I'm not saying it's necessarily an improvement on the original, it's simply my take on what I think the story should have been. So, it may not accommodate to everyone's tastes._

 _I hope you enjoy._

* * *

The Sun had long since set over the thick jungle, leaving only the three shining moons to give any light. The noise of the day had died out to only a subtle buzz as the denizens of the wild all fell into a doze. Few things were awake, and even fewer made a sound. All was quiet and peaceful. That is, until a strange voice entered into the jungle, and presently reached into the mind of the world's only visitor.

 _Xocf ij. Fcouj. No uh roadw ukkusbot._

Krystal awoke from her troubled sleep and leaned up from the spot she lay. "What?"

She heard it again. _Kxo Juhfscunj uh ukkusbadw. No suddek vawxk rusb. Jemed xocf ij._

Quickly, she climbed to her feet, and looked out over the broad expanse of jungle. _Where is it coming from? It sounds as if they are in danger._

 _Udooed. Fcouj._

Krystal closed her eyes and concentrated, her powerful telepathic mind working to locate the message. Finding nothing near her, she focused her attention to the sky above. In time, she found that it indeed came from far away, on another world in fact.

Without hesitation, Krystal opened her eyes, flipped her staff up into her hands, and began to sprint through the lush jungle by the light of the three moons.

 _No uh roadw jcuiwxkohot._ The voice pleaded. _Av udooed sud xouh ij, jodt xocf._

 _Don't worry,_ Krystal thought. _I will be there soon._

Dashing through the trees, leaping over roots and boulders, her eyes were set on a massive, stone ruin, towering above all else in the distance.

 _No uh uk Krazoa Fucus. Kxo komfc ad kxo jtoo. Fcouj, xocf if._

Krystal tried to interpret the pleas, but all she could understand from a quick reading was "temple in the sky" and "help us."

With a grunt, she lept over a fallen log, and slid down an inclined mound of dirt and plants. The flora that covered the jungle floor might prove to be a hinderance to most, but Krystal had lived in such an environment all her life, and could navigate such terrain with ease.

She hit level ground, and began sprinting again, listening for anymore of the mysterious message.

A distant screech suddenly pierced the night sky, ringing throughout the jungle and into Krystal's ears, breaking her concentration. She stopped running and spun around, searching for the cry's owner.

She recognized the sound: It was the cry of a Jugrath Bird, a vicious predator that never hunted alone. Krystal had had many encounters with the beasts in her time on this world, and had never come out of one unscathed.

"Lovely..." She muttered. The only thing she could do was hope that the beasts didn't find her. Gripping her staff tighter, she set out once again for the ruin.

She focused her mind once more, trying to hear more off the distress call. However, it seemed to be becoming more distant, and difficult to understand. She could only make out a few garbled words, and even then she couldn't understand the strange language. But she could still feel the desperation in their pleas.

"Don't worry. I'm coming." She whispered. There was no time to take the carved path to the gateway around the back of the structure. She would have to make her own way to the top.

Reaching the foot of the great ruin, she stopped running, raised her staff up high, and slammed the end into the earth. The body of the staff began to glow blue, and with a rushing roar, a burst of flame erupted from the end of it, propelling both her and it straight up into the air.

Ending her flight with a graceful flip, she landed high up onto a protruding edge, and from there, began to use the hanging vines to climb the rest of the way up to the ruin's peak.

There, from the top of the stone tower, she could nearly see the entirety of the thick jungle canopy, stretching outwards for miles. However, a beautiful view was not her goal. Her eyes were instead set upon two, tall, stone pillars, stretching upwards and bending towards each other like snakes to form a great archway.

In front of this archway, she knelt with the staff in her lap, and closed her eyes, trying to find where the message came from and who was sending it.

 _Udooed..._

 _Where are you? Who are you?_ She thought, hoping she could send a message of her own. However, they couldn't seem to hear her, and continued to plead for help.

 _Fcouj..._

Concentrating harder, Krystal eventually managed to sense where the cry for help came from: A distant planet, that emanated a strange, mystic energy.

 _Hold on, I'm coming,_ she thought, and opened her eyes. Standing up with her staff in hand, she walked up to an altar in front of the great archway. From there, she stretched her arms out into the air, and began to whisper softly. Within moments, the archway began to rumble with a great power, and a blue, swirling portal opened in front of her, leading to the mysterious world.

Staff in hand, teeth clenched in determination, she prepared to leap into the vortex. However, she was suddenly interrupted by a vicious, deafening roar directly behind her. Spinning around in shock, her eyes fell upon the very thing she had been dreading.

Prowling menacingly up the steps of the ruin was a dark red Jugrath Bird; it's long, almost mammalian body hunched down low to the ground in the posture of hunting; it's yellow, beady eyes trained directly on Krystal; it's four, scaly legs, ending in feet of razor sharp talons slowly carrying it towards her. It was no doubt preparing to strike.

And sure enough, it wasn't alone. Crawling up behind it, came four more of the beasts: Two were bright shades of green, one a dark shade of blue, and one a vibrant yellow. As always, this pack demonstrated the amazing variance between individuals that the predators were blessed with.

And despite how dangerous the Jugraths were, Krystal could never deny how beautiful they were. Their tall, regal heads; their long, powerful bodies, their sharp, curved beaks, and the handsome feathers on their backs that might at one time have been wings. They could no longer fly though, they had long since lost that ability.

However, Krystal was not currently concerned with the beauty of the creatures. Rather, she was instead focused on their threatening growls, and the fact that they were slowly moving to surround her.

Heart beating furiously, Krystal raised her staff, pointed it at the red Alpha, and from the end of it, shot a glowing, red ball of fire at the beast in an attempt to frighten it.

The Jugrath leapt backwards with lightning fast reflexes, dodging the projectile and making it burst onto the stone floor harmlessly. After shaking its head and growling, the creature began to slowly prowl forward again.

Krystal cursed under her breath and stepped backwards, towards the swirling portal. She could very easily jump through the gateway and escape to the other world, however, she had a feeling the pack of Jugraths would follow her through before she could close it again. She would have to stun, or if necessary, kill them first.

The Jugraths growled again, all eyes locked on their prey. Krystal could sense their thoughts; their hunger, their anger, their lust for blood. These beasts couldn't be subdued peacefully.

Gripping her staff tight in both hands, she stood silently, waiting for the creatures to make the first move. And sure enough, with a raptor-like screech, the lead Jugrath suddenly sprang towards her, talons arched, ready to dismember her.

With a single, spinning motion, Krystal flipped her staff up and responded with a single strike to the side of the beast's head. With a cry of pain, the red Jugrath was thrown sideways, away from the altar and the gateway. However, the other four were already making their move, quickly dashing around Krystal to surround her, and then each one jumping in for an attack.

Swinging the staff to the side, she blocked the slash of one of the green Jugraths, and quickly retaliated with a kick to its head, before striking the back of the blue one, whose talons were aiming for her throat. Both of the beasts jumped back, but recovered quickly and jumped in for another assault.

With a roar, the Alpha Jugrath who had been sneaking up behind Krystal suddenly pounced up towards her. However, she was able to spin around and roll backwards, catching the creature with her legs and throwing it away again. As quick as lightning, she lept back to her feet, just in time to parry another strike from another one of the creatures.

Using her staff as a powerfully quick offensive and defensive tool, Krystal was able to parry and counter every attack the Jugraths could throw. Unfortunately, she was still outnumbered, and would soon begin to tire. She needed to get more aggressive.

Blocking another slash by the yellow Jugrath, she quickly spun her staff around and knocked the beast hard on the small of its back. Crying out in pain, the Jugrath hunched down, giving Krystal a chance to hit it hard on the side of its face, and ending with a swift, overhead swing to its cranium. The beast fell to the ground, unconscious.

Seeing their comrade fall, the other four jumped back growling and screeching, working their minds for another plan of attack. That was the true danger of the Jugrath Birds, not their sharp talons, or their strong bodies, but their unusual intelligence. They never attacked without a plan, and their plans were usually deadly for their prey. And when a plan went wrong, they could always pull out a few deadly tricks.

However, they weren't the only ones with tricks up their sleeves; Krystal could do things with her staff that they would never expect.

And sure enough, as the Jugraths were circling her, preparing to all strike at once, she raised her staff in the air and slammed it down onto the ground. As the tip hit the stone, it sent a glowing blue shockwave outwards in all directions, throwing the predators out into the air and away from Krystal. Three landed hard and quickly recovered, slightly disoriented. However, one was unfortunate enough to be thrown off the edge of the ruin, falling to the jungle below.

Becoming enraged by the defeat of the two others, the green Jugrath pounced up and dashed for Krystal, ready to tear her throat out. But she quickly raised her staff and shot a trio of fireballs in its direction as it came for her, each burning projectile hitting their mark and taking it out for the count.

Starting to become more cautious than furious, the remaining two beasts began to slowly step backwards, away from Krystal and her powerful weapon. After a moment of growling and pacing back and forth, the Jugraths began to do something unexpected; they began to back away. Krystal was surprised. She had never seen Jugraths retreat before. And yet, the two remaining beasts continued to slowly back away, and began to step down off of the ruin's top and out of her sight.

Krystal kept her eyes and her staff trained on their movements for a moment, making sure they were truly leaving, before she breathed a sigh of relief. Satisfied, but still alert, she turned around and faced the portal again.

 _Since that bit of bother is out of the way..._ she thought. _I can get back to business._

She closed her eyes to see if she could still sense the strange message, but she could no longer hear the pleas of the desperate voice. _I hope it's not too late._

She stepped up onto the altar again, and walked towards the swirling portal. Standing next to the vortex, she could feel the energy radiating off of the gateway. It was the most extraordinary feeling; almost a mix of blazing heat, and burning cold, and it pierced her to the bone.

Gripping her staff tighter and closing her eyes, she slowly raised her hand and touched the center of the gate. In an instant, her body was sucked into the vortex, and she was traveling through the fabric of space and time.

* * *

Krystal never could remember what she saw inside those gateways. She always knew she was conscious when traveling through them, the same way that people know when they are in a dream. But no matter how hard she tried, she could never conjure up an image of what they looked like inside. Her best guess was that no mortal mind could comprehend what was seen in those portals, so it simply chose to forget.

Because of this, when she soon stumbled out into the physical world, she did so as though she were awaking from a deep sleep. Dizzy and disoriented, with her vision half clouded over, the first feeling she noticed was a sensation of wetness on her fur. As her mind began to clear, she saw that the sky was raining a torrential downpour, and this rain was already soaking her to the bone.

"Wonderful..." She sighed, and wiped some water from her face.

She looked around, trying to get a feel for this new world. The storm was cutting off much light, making it difficult to see, but Krystal could tell that she was standing on a small platform on a mountainside. In front of her, the ground suddenly dropped off steeply onto a sheer cliff face, and behind her, the full body of the mountain rose up into the sky, dwarfing her like an ant.

She stepped to the cliff's edge and peered over. Any solid ground seemed to stretch out miles below her, separated only by air and rain. Save for climbing the cliff itself, there was no way to get down that she could see.

 _I don't even know if I have to go down,_ she thought. _I have no idea where the people who sent the message are. They could be anywhere._

"Temple in the sky..." She muttered. That could be talking about a temple that was on the mountain's peak, or it could simply be symbolic for something. There was no way she could know. She racked her brain, desperately trying to decide what would be best to do. She felt as though the messengers still needed her help, but she didn't know how to find them.

She was still pondering what direction she should take, when she was again interrupted by a sudden noise from behind. She spun around to see two red and blue forms suddenly fall out of the closing portal and stand up, growling angrily. Krystal was stunned. The remaining Jugraths had followed her through the portal. She had been sure they had retreated, but it seemed as though they were simply trying to catch her off guard. And it had worked perfectly.

With a screech, both of the vicious birds jumped up towards her, talons outstretched and eyes burning with a vengeful fury. Krystal, still a little stunned, was too slow to react as the red one tackled her and forced her to the ground.

With the huge Alpha standing on her chest, she was barely able to stop its powerful jaws from clamping down on her head by sticking her staff across its open beak. With its jaws thrashing, and its saliva dripping down onto her face, she desperately tried with all her might to force the Jugrath off of her. With a quick flick of her staff, she was able to smack the predator on the side of its head, giving her a chance to push it off of her.

However, as she tried to climb back to her feet, the blue Jugrath jumped forward and, though she tried to block the attack, it managed to slash her viciously across the arm with its talons. Crying out in pain she dropped her staff and stumbled backwards, clutching her bloody arm. Trying to ignore the pain, she bent down to pick her fallen staff back up, but she was stopped by the snapping beak of the red Alpha.

The two beasts, walking closer with angry growls and deafening screeches, forced her to step backwards until she was stopped by the mountain wall. With her eyes darting back and forth from the two approaching Jugraths, Krystal desperately tried to find a way she could escape, but she knew inside that this was the end. She could sense the thoughts of the beasts; they both knew that they had won. They were going to feast on her flesh on that day. Funny, that all they had to do in order to do that was travel to a completely different world. But Krystal still wouldn't make it easy for them. She clenched her fists, ready to fight back until the end.

With a screech, the Alpha Jugrath leaped forward, ready to give the finishing blow that would end Krystal's life. She raised her fists, preparing for her final stand, when a dark figure suddenly flew down from above, blocking her view of the Jugraths. Jumping in surprise and stumbling down, she watched as the Jugrath crashed into the dark figure, and after a moment of struggle, was thrown down onto the ground.

Krystal watched in amazement as the strange, winged creature fought back against the livid Jugraths in the fury of the rainstorm. Snapping and slashing, both of the beasts leapt towards the creature, but it picked up its wings and flew straight up into the air, dodging their attack.

The flying creature, which Krystal now saw as some type of winged reptile like a pterodactyl, was circling the Jugraths in the air. Flying just out of reach of their slashing talons, it suddenly called out to Krystal in a strange language.

"Xihoo! Kub ooeih noufed udt vcoo!"

Krystal understood what he was trying to say. Jumping to her feet, she dashed to her fallen staff and snatched it up. Spinning around, she watched as the creature dove down and crashed into the red Alpha. The Jugrath let out a roar of fury and tried to swipe back at the creature, but he flew away before the talons could hit their mark.

Spinning her staff around in her good arm, she dashed into the fight to help. Distracted by the newcomer, the Alpha Jugrath didn't see Krystal as she raised her staff high and brought it down hard onto its back. Screeching in pain, it jumped away from Krystal, only to again be attacked by the flying newcomer.

While the red Jugrath was fighting the newcomer, the blue one saw an opportunity to go for Krystal. Bending down low, it prepared to pounce forward and separate her from her weapon again, but before it could attack, Krystal spun around and shot from the end of the staff a gust of sub-zero gas. The gas froze the rain around it as it traveled and, as it touched the ground around the Jugrath, encased its taloned feet in a mound of solid ice.

Biting and snarling, the blue Jugrath tried to free its feet from the ice, but it could no longer move. Ignoring the beast's pained cries, Krystal spun around and ran to help fight the last Jugrath, who was being tackled by the newcomer.

In a sudden fit of fury, the red Jugrath let out a deafening screech and hurled the newcomer off of it, throwing his body into the mountainside. Then, turning towards Krystal with a roar, it pounced in her direction. Raising her staff, she prepared to block its attack, however, she didn't need to, as the Jugrath dashed past her.

Krystal spun around in surprise, to see the red Jugrath stop near the blue one's trapped feet, and begin to gently bite and claw at the ice around its legs. She watched this odd behavior for a moment, feeling a little awed at the almost tender action, when she was interrupted by a rushed voice.

"Sem! No doot ke coul!"

She spun around to see the pterodactyl-like creature standing on the edge of the cliff, stretching his wings and gesturing with his head. Krystal nodded and ran over to him, jumping on his back. With a swift flap of its wings, the creature rose from the mountain-side and flew off into the storm.

Krystal took a moment to look back and watch the two predators in the pouring rain, as the red one tenderly tried to free its blue companion. Guilt suddenly seeped into her heart, and she turned away, keeping her eyes on the endless ocean of cloud and rain as the creature carried her into the sky.


	2. Chapter 1

"Uh ooei xihk?"

"Oh, I'm sorry?" Krystal asked. The creature and her had been flying for a little while through the swirling storm. Both of them were resting from their fierce battle, despite the harsh cold and the freezing rain.

"Uh ooei xihk, eiknehctoh?" He called over the roar of the rain.

"I don't..." She sighed. "Here, let me..."

She carefully inched forward on the creature's back, reaching out a hand and touching the crest of his pointed head. Though he shot her an inquisitive eye, he allowed her to carefully probe his mind, learning his strange language as though she had spoken it all her life.

"Hello?" She said in his tongue. "Can you understand me now?"

The creature looked at her with surprise in his eyes. "How did you do that, outworlder?"

"I'm able to look into the minds of others. I can sense their emotions, and I can even read their thoughts if I concentrate."

"Impressive. I have never met someone with that power before, though I've heard rumours of some. Tell me outworlder, are you hurt?"

Krystal shook her head, looking down at her bloody arm. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

He nodded. "What were those beasts back there? I have never seen creatures such as that."

"They're called Jugrath Birds, and I'm afraid I mistakenly brought them with me from another world."

"Your world?"

Krystal shook her head. "No. I was only visiting that world, the same way I am visiting yours."

"Well, as a member of the CloudRunner tribe, I proudly welcome you to our planet. And now, I would humbly advise you to leave."

"Why?"

"Dinosaur Planet is in turmoil. The tribes of the world have been savagely conquered by an evil general, and his SharpClaw army. He has acquired powerful magic and machines that should not exist, and uses these machines to subvert the entire planet."

Krystal frowned in thought. _An evil general..._

"Well, I'm afraid I can't leave right now." She said. "I received a garbled distress call. I don't know who sent it, but it came from this planet. It said something about a temple in the sky."

"Hmm. They would most likely be talking about Krazoa Palace. Though I don't know who could need help there. I don't even think the SharpClaws would dare attack that place. And even still, I'm afraid I can't take you there."

"Why?"

"I have been sent on an important mission by my queen. One of her children has been taken, and I have been instructed to save her secretly."

Krystal looked down. _It seems like more people need help than I realized._

"Very well." She said. "If I help you save this child, will you take me to Krazoa Palace?"

The CloudRunner nodded. "It will be dangerous. The young princess has been taken to a SharpClaw galleon: A flying monstrosity that can carry dozens of soldiers. I was following this ship when I saw you fighting those beasts."

"Where is this galleon now?"

As if in answer, a deep, rumbling boom sounded just above them. Krystal looked up to see a massive, flaming cannonball come barreling towards them.

"Look out!" She cried.

"Hold on!" The CloudRunner yelled, and folding his wings onto his body, he suddenly dove straight down. The cannonball barely passed over their heads, falling past them to the ground below.

Spreading his wings again, the CloudRunner caught the air and leveled out, giving him and Krystal a chance to see what had attacked them. Rocking back and forth in the wind above them was a huge, wooden airship, with two outstretched wings, a massive sail, and a hideous figurehead of a reptilian creature that was so lifelike, Krystal wondered if it was once the head of an actual beast.

Atop the deck of the ship, Krystal could see dark outlines of two legged creatures dashing around, heading for the cannons that lined the sides of the ship.

"We need to flee!" The CloudRunner yelled.

"No!" Krystal yelled. "Take me to the deck!"

"We can't! They're going to blast us out of the sky!"

As he said this, a chorus of pounding booms echoed from the galleon. Cannonballs filled the air around them, forcing the CloudRunner to weave and spin to dodge them all. Krystal clung on to his neck, desperately hoping she wouldn't fall off.

"Stop!" She shouted. "I can protect us!"

Raising her staff, she swiped at one of the flaming projectiles, knocking it away from them. "Go! Quickly!"

Quickly banking around, the Cloudrunner began to fly towards the huge galleon, swerving up and down to dodge the hailstorm of flaming iron, all while Krystal did her best to knock the closest ones out of their path.

"Hurry!" She cried.

"We can't get closer!"

"Don't worry! I can..."

Another cannonball came hurtling towards them, and Krystal raised her staff to knock it away, but it hit the iron ball at an angle that wrenched the staff from Krystal's hand. She tried to catch it, but it fell beyond her reach.

"No! My staff!" She cried as she watched it spin to the clouds below.

"We can't do this!" The Cloudrunner shouted.

"I..." Krystal looked around, realizing how bleak the situation looked. "Take us down!"

"What?"

"Fly into the clouds! I have an idea!"

He nodded, then with a small flip, they both sailed down into the thick rain clouds. And sure enough, the great galleon slowly descended to pursue them, firing shell after shell at them.

Blinded by the thick grey fog, the soldiers aboard the galleon soon stopped firing their cannons, no longer able to see their foes. Using this to their advantage, Krystal and the CloudRunner flew up and silently landed on the stern of the ship.

Krystal jumped off his back, her sandaled feet touching the deck, as she whispered to him. "I'll find the child. Fly along out of sight, and be ready to catch me."

He nodded, and with a flap, flew off the ship and down below where he couldn't be seen, while Krystal began to quietly sneak along the soaked wooden deck.

The cloud enshrouding the galleon was so thick that she could only see a few feet in front of her face. Luckily, this meant that the soldiers could see just as well, so as long as the ship stayed in the clouds, she would be hidden. She just had to make sure she didn't bump into one of them.

Slowly she crept along, listening for any sign of the captured child. She could hear the soldiers shouting a mix of orders and insults to one another, obviously trying to find her and the CloudRunner in the thick fog. None of them seemed to get the idea she could be onboard.

Climbing down from the stern of the ship, she touched down onto the mid-deck, home of the majority of the mounted cannons. She felt her way along the wooden wall silently, trying to find a door that would take her below deck. She guessed that would be where prisoners would be kept.

Finding a door, she gently pushed it open and peeked inside. The air inside the ship was much warmer, meaning that the thick fog dissolved as it seeped in, granting better visibility. Krystal glanced back and then quickly slipped inside, shutting the door behind her.

There was no one in sight, only a short hallway that branched off into two descending staircases. Krystal carefully snuck along, hoping that all of the soldiers were above deck looking for her in the clouds. She stepped down onto the first stair, and began to climb down, listening intently for any living thing.

She cursed herself quietly for losing her staff. Not only was it a treasured heirloom, but it was the only weapon she really felt competent wielding. She would have a hard time defending herself if she got in a fight.

Coming down to a hallway lined with small doors, she began to silently creep up and check each doorway. She saw barrels and crates, racks of weapons, mats of hay and cloth, but she saw no sign of any prisoners.

 _Perhaps a different approach..._ she thought.

Kneeling down on the hardwood floor, she closed her eyes and began to search the ship mentally, seeking for a sign of the captured child. Probing the thoughts of those onboard, she could sense anger, boredom, envy, and confusion all around her. However, she soon caught wiff of another feeling: Sadness. A deep, mournful sadness that was accentuated with a powerful fear. She had found the lost child.

 _Where are you?_ She thought, trying to send her a message. _Can you hear me?_

There was no response. Krystal clenched her teeth in concentration, trying to make herself heard. _Can you hear me?_

 _W... what?_

Krystal smiled. She had heard her. _Hello? Are you the CloudRunner child?_

 _I... I... who..._

She sounded frightened. _It's okay. I'm a friend. I'm here to bring you back to your family._

 _But... where are you? Are you real?_

 _I'm on the ship. Don't be afraid, but I need you to tell me where you are._

 _I..._

Krystal suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of fear come from the child's mind. _Hello? What's..._

Without warning, she felt a cold, scaly hand grab her shoulder and harshly spin her around, pinning her against the wooden wall.

"Whaddaya think you're doing here?"

Krystal found herself face-to-snout with a huge, green, SharpClaw with long teeth, a long tail, and cold, yellow eyes. He was clad in brown, leather armor and wielded a brutal club, covered from head to hilt in steel spikes.

Grasping her tightly by the shoulder, his sharp claws threatening to dig into her flesh, he made sure she wouldn't be able to slip away.

"Who are you, furball?" He hissed, holding his vicious weapon next to her face.

"I... I don't..."

"You're not supposed to be here."

"Wait! I don't mean any harm. I just want..."

"Come on." He growled. "Move it."

Pulling her away from the wall, he began to forcefully lead her down the hall and back up the wooden steps to the ship's deck.

"Look what we've got!" He called as they stepped outside.

The galleon had flown back above the thick clouds, allowing Krystal to see it and its crew in their full horror. The SharpClaws aboard the ship were all similar; they had the same long snout, the same tail, and the same bowed legs. However, they all came in radically different sizes, with the smallest being half of Krystal's height, and the largest towering over her like a gorilla.

She noticed that they seemed to be ordered according to their size as well. The smallest ones were clad in worn hide and wielded little more than wooden sticks, while the largest ones were outfitted in full steel armor, complete with shields and battle axes.

"What are you talking about?" One of the largest ones called, walking up to Krystal's captor.

"I've found a stowaway, sir!"

The statement drew the attention of most of the crew, and they all slowly moved in to see who was causing the excitement. As they formed a circle around Krystal, chattering and growling, she struggled to resist the urge to cover her nose; the stench emanating from the reptilian soldiers was rancid.

"Who are you?" The large one hissed. "How'd you get here?"

"It's a CloudRunner spy!" Another called, a very short one with an almost whiney voice. "He didn't show up till we shot that flying rat outta the sky!"

Krystal felt her breath catch. _They hit the CloudRunner?_

"You numbskull! It's a 'she', not a 'he'!"

"Who cares? She's a spy, and we know what to do with spies!"

The large one stomped up and with a clenched fist. smashed the small one upside the head. "Will you shut it? We don't know she's a spy."

"Well what is she doing here then?" He said, rubbing his head.

"I said shut it!" He turned around again to face Krystal. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"Please." She said. "I don't mean any of you any harm. I just..." She decided it wouldn't be of any use to lie. "I've been asked to save a young CloudRunner child, and I was told she was on this ship. Please, let me just take her back to her family and we can settle this peacefully."

The SharpClaw laughed with genuine amusement. "Peacefully? If you're trying to steal the general's new pet, then there's no way we're gonna let you walk away peacefully."

"P... Pet?"

Her confusion made the SharpClaws snicker. "See for yourself." The large one said, pointing with a thumb behind him. Krystal's eyes followed until they caught sight of a steel birdcage, hanging by a rope from a wooden pole near the front of the ship. And inside the tiny cage sat the CloudRunner child, looking at Krystal with fear in her eyes.

"I don't understand..." She murmured, which triggered another bout of laughs.

"See, the CloudRunner queen's been giving us a lotta trouble lately. So, the general decided that the best way to throw her back into place was by taking a hostage."

"Don't worry!" One of the SharpClaws called. "We've been taking real good care of the rat! Feed it almost every week!"

A bout of laughter erupted from the assembled group, all while Krystal stood silently, horrified at their petty cruelty.

When the largest SharpClaw eventually stopped laughing, he forcibly pushed Krystal against the wooden wall, keeping his arm pressed to her throat, while she vainly tried to struggle out of his grip.

"Now then." He growled, putting his face next to her's. "I think it's time to punish this dirty thief. Any ideas?"

The group erupted with suggestions for punishments and tortures they could inflict.

"Let's burn her!"

"The general could use a new rug!"

"Let's introduce her to a Red-Eye!"

"Throw her overboard!"

"Let's eat 'er!"

"You idiot! We're not gonna eat a dirty furball!"

"Better than that gruel they've been forcing us."

The clamour grew louder and more intense as arguments broke out, and within minutes, a few full blown fistfights started. Krystal looked around at the contention with both wonder and disgust. _I can't believe these savages haven't killed each other off yet._

Knowing the arguments would eventually cease, and their attention would be turned back to her, she began to try to find a way out of her predicament. She glanced around to see a small hole begin to open in the group of bickering SharpClaws. As the arguments grew louder and louder, she got ready to make a dash for the bow of the ship; perhaps she could release the child before they caught her.

However, before she could make her move, a sudden deafening shout echoed across the galleon.

"SILENCE!"

All bickerings stopped immediately as the SharpClaws, and Krystal, jumped in surprise. Quickly, the group drew back to see, standing in the door at the ship's bow, an extremely large SharpClaw, twice as tall as the one that was holding Krystal down, and several times more muscular.

Standing silently with his hands clasped behind his back, he glared at the assembled SharpClaws with a menacing eye. As he stepped forward down the stairs, he spoke slowly and softly, with a sharp tone that reached every ear. "Can't we have one day, _one_ day, when you animals aren't murdering one another?"

"General Scales!" The large SharpClaw said, running forward and bowing respectfully. "I apologize for the contention, but we have a stowaway on board! She said she's trying to free the child."

General Scales stared him down, making him shift back and forth with discomfort. "Bring her forward."

Immediately, two soldiers grabbed Krystal roughly by the arms, ignoring her cries of pain as one of them touched the claw marks left by the Jugrath, and dragged her to the General's feet. Breathing heavily, Krystal looked up into the General's cold eyes, while he observed her up and down.

"What an ugly creature." He mumbled.

"General." Krystal said, ignoring the acerbic comment. "I don't mean to cause any trouble, nor do I wish to be the reason for unnecessary violence."

Scales eyed her curiously. "Unhand her." He commanded.

Taking their hands off of her arms, the two SharpClaws stepped back and allowed her to climb back to her feet.

"Now then." Scales said calmly. "What is a creature such as yourself doing on my planet?"

"I... I received a distress call and I came to help those who sent it."

The General began to laugh. "Distress call? My dear, this whole planet is in distress, mostly because of rebels like yourself."

"What? No, I'm not a rebel. I do not wish to fight you."

"Oh?" The General growled. "Really? So I suppose your attempts to free a prisoner of war, is simply part of your everyday life?"

"'Prisoner of war'? General, you're holding an innocent child against her will!"

Scales suddenly thrust forward his arm and held next to her face, something that Krystal at first thought was a weapon, but realized was actually a steel replacement for a missing hand.

"Innocent?" He growled. "Yes, the child may have not committed any crime, but she is by no means innocent. Her mother, the Queen of the CloudRunners, has been the reason behind hundreds of my soldiers' deaths, in meaningless battles that have brought their people nothing, and my own people terrible grief."

He brought his arm back behind his back, turned around, and strolled leisurely back up the stairs, towards the caged princess. "I do not hold the child out of some primal cruelty, but to prevent any more bloodshed." He suddenly lashed out and struck the CloudRunner's cage with his steel claw, causing the child to shriek in fear. "If the tribes of the world would lie down and accept my rule, I wouldn't have to fall back on such extremes. I rule with fear, because if I don't, the tribes would fight back, and we would destroy ourselves."

As quick as lightning, he spun around and caught Krystal by the neck, after her desperate attempt to slip away from the SharpClaws to try and save the child. He laughed evilly as his fingers tightened around her neck, lifting her body into the air, while she vainly tried to struggle out of his iron grip.

"Always fighting. Always struggling." He murmured.

"Throw 'er overboard General!" A SharpClaw soldier called out.

Scales smiled broadly, as Krystal desperately tried to worm her way out. "Do you have anything else to say?"

"Yo... You're evil..." She sputtered between labored breaths.

The General squinted his eyes and smiled, showing his knife-like teeth. "Perhaps. But goodness never leads to victory. Take yourself as an example: So kind, so willing to help others. And look where you are now: About to plummet to your untimely death on a world that isn't even your own."

Krystal's eyes grew wide with fear as Scales began to drag her body across the wooden deck like a doll, as his soldiers trailed eagerly behind. She began to struggle more intensely, trying to kick and lash out in an attempt to free herself. But she could do nothing to fight against the General's impressive strength.

"Take this as a declaration, Dinosaur Planet!" He roared, lifting Krystal above his head and over the railing of the ship. "Nobody can defeat General Scales!"

And with that, he hurled her body over the side, laughing as he watched her disappear into the endless clouds below. Satisfied, he turned to his cheering soldiers, who were praising their General's magnificent show of power.

"Still think we should'a eaten 'er." One was heard to mumble.

Unfortunately for them, down out of sight, a dark, winged shadow could be seen to catch a smaller shadow as it plummeted down. Flapping it's wings, it flew back up to the underside of the flying galleon.

"Bad luck General." Krystal whispered with a smile. "Thank you for saving me."

"Think nothing of it." The CloudRunner said proudly. "I heard you stand up against Scales. You are very brave."

"But I couldn't save the child." She said with a sigh. "She was right there, just out of my reach, and I still couldn't do anything! If only I hadn't lost my staff!"

The CloudRunner smiled knowingly. "Don't lose hope. We can still save the princess."

"How?"

"There's no doubt that the SharpClaws are dangerous, however, I've found them to be extremely dimwitted as well."

Before Krystal could ask what he meant, he suddenly began to flap his wings and fly up from below, hovering high above the deck of the galleon. Krystal could hear frenzied shouts from on board as the SharpClaws caught sight of the duo.

"What are you doing?" She inquired worriedly, watching as the dark shapes on the deck scurried to the cannons.

"For example." He continued with a smile. "Keeping a valuable prisoner out in the open, where anybody could fly down and rescue her."

And with that, the CloudRunner tucked his wings into his body and dove straight down, forcing Krystal to cling onto his neck to avoid falling off. Faster and faster they barreled towards the wooden deck, to the point that Krystal thought they would crash. However, seconds before they hit, the CloudRunner spread his wings and quickly leveled out, passing straight over the heads of the flabbergasted SharpClaws, and making a beeline for the hanging cage and the child within.

Krystal quickly jerked her head to the left, just in time to see General Scales standing in the doorway of his personal quarters, with a look of both shock and fury on his reptilian face. The sight, though momentary, gave Krystal a thrill of satisfaction, and forced her to give him a smug grin.

Moments before they would have crashed headlong into the child's cage, the CloudRunner reared up and grasped the cage with both of his feet. With the speed that he had built up transferring into the cage, the wooden pole that supported the cage snapped and, clutching the rope in his claws, the CloudRunner continued to fly forward without missing a beat.

And just like that, Krystal, the CloudRunner, and the young princess dangling in the cage were flying away from the SharpClaw galleon, while the furious general and his despondent soldiers were left behind in the swirling storm.


	3. Chapter 2

The thrill that Krystal felt from the daring rescue had yet to wear off, despite the ever intensifying rain. She had never felt such a rush of speed before, even in the sky speeders back on Cerinia. The child in her was tempted to ask if they could do it again. She resisted this urge, and simply held onto the CloudRunner's back, heart still pumping from the adrenaline.

However, as time passed, and the day began to grow darker, the cold and the rain began to take its toll. With water dripping down her face and cold wind whipping at her eyes and fur, not to mention the fatigue that was hanging on her eyelids, Krystal began to wish for a warm shelter and a soft bed.

"How close are we?" She called.

"Not long!" The CloudRunner responded. "Krazoa Palace should be very close!"

Krystal leaned to the side to get a look at the child in the cage. The poor thing was shivering with her wings wrapped around her body and her head hanging low. She seemed to be trying to sleep, not wanting to try and talk.

"I'm afraid for the princess!" Krystal called. "I don't think she can survive much longer in this weather!"

"I know." The CloudRunner said sadly. "But there's nothing we can do. The land around the palace is rocky and barren for many leagues. There is nowhere else to land."

Krystal frowned in concern. "And how are you feeling?"

He smiled weakly. "I am very weary, outworlder, but that's of no concern. My duty is to protect the child, and fulfill my end of our agreement."

"Well, even still, you should rest when we arrive. You've done enough today."

"I should say the same to you. You must be weary as well."

Krystal shook her head. "I can't. I need to search the palace and find whoever sent the distress call."

"And what use will you be to them if you can barely keep your eyes open?"

"I'm not tired." She lied.

"Of course you aren't." He said with a chuckle. "Will you at least accept to having a short meal when we arrive? I brought food for the princess and I, and I'm sure you're hungry as well."

Krystal wanted to argue, but she realized that his words were true; it had been quite a while since she had eaten last. With a sigh, she agreed to his offer. "I suppose so. But let's try to go fast, I don't want it to be too late."

"We CloudRunners take pride in being the fastest creatures in the sky." He said with a smile. "You needn't worry. We'll get there soon."

* * *

And sure enough, only a short while later, Krystal caught sight of a massive, looming shadow that was partially hidden by the clouds of the storm. Rising up like a mountain into the sky, Krazoa Palace was an incredible sight to behold. With its magnificent towers and its stalwart stone walls, it emanated a feeling of might and mysticism that awed all who looked upon it.

And Krystal was no exception. Gazing up at the palace, she could sense the energy emanating from its depths and it moved her to the core. This truly was a place of great power.

"It's beautiful." She said, unable to take her eyes off of it.

"Indeed." The CloudRunner said with a smile. "It is our planet's most sacred place, and for good reason. It is said this was the dwelling of the great Krazoa God, before he ascended into the world of the divine."

"Krazoa God?"

He smiled. "I can tell you the legends, but not now. Let us find a place to land first, and attend to the princess."

Krystal nodded, keeping her eyes on the massive temple as it drew closer and closer.

In time, they caught sight of a platform that stuck out from the body of the palace. The CloudRunner made for this platform and, after setting the cage down as gently as he could, he landed softly on the wet stone, folding his wings and allowing Krystal to jump off his back.

The second her feet touched the ground, she dashed to the fallen cage to let the young princess out. The door was locked only by a simple latch that would have been difficult to operate for the handless CloudRunners. Krystal unlocked the gate and swung the door open.

"Come on." She said. "Let's get you out." Reaching in, she picked the shivering child up and gently carried her out of her prison, while the CloudRunner looked on with concern in his face.

"Th... thank you f... for s... saving me." The child said, still shaking in Krystal's arms.

"It was nothing." Krystal said with a smile. "You should be thanking your friend here."

"I'm glad to see you're unhurt, Princess Kyte." He said.

Kyte nodded weakly. "I... I knew mother would s... send someone."

"Come on. Let's get you out of the rain." And with that, Krystal, holding the child in her arms, began to follow the path to the palace, while the CloudRunner waddled behind.

In time, they found a small alcove sheltered from the rain that was filled with stacked wooden barrels and crates. Here, Krystal gently set Princess Kyte down, allowing her to shake some of the water from her wet body and wings.

"We should make a fire." Krystal said, wiping some water from her own face.

"Indeed." The CloudRunner responded. "We can use the wood from these containers. Stay here and try to keep the princess warm."

With that, he turned around and made for the wooden boxes, while Krystal tenderly picked up the princess and held her close, using her own body heat to keep her warm.

"So." She said. "Your name is Kyte?"

Kyte nodded.

"That's a lovely name."

"Thank you." She said shyly. "What's your name?"

"Krystal."

"Oh. That's a beautiful name."

Krystal smiled. "Thank you Kyte. That's very kind."

"Are... are you from another world?"

Krystal nodded. "I am."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm..." She thought for a moment. "Well, I'm just traveling. I'm trying to find some answers for something that happened."  
"What?"

"Nothing, it's just, something very dear to me was taken, and I want to know why."

"What was it?"

Krystal didn't feel like explaining herself right now. "It's nothing. You don't have to worry about it."

"Well, I hope you find it again."

Krystal felt her heart sink at the child's innocent comment. "Yes..." She mumbled. _If only I could._

Their talk was interrupted by the return of the CloudRunner, who was carrying a small stack of wooden planks in his wings. Krystal couldn't help but smile at how awkwardly he carried the burden. The wings of the CloudRunners obviously weren't meant for manipulation.

"Here." He said, laying the wood down in front of Krystal and Kyte. "This should be enough."

Krystal once again kicked herself for losing her staff. "I'm sorry, I don't have a way to light it."

"Don't worry." Kyte said suddenly. "Tekamus can breathe fire!"

"What?" Krystal wasn't sure what was more surprising: The child's strange statement, or the realization that she had yet to ask her ally's name.

Tekamus smiled. "Indeed I can. Give me a moment."

He bent down and organized the planks into an orderly stack with the thin digits on the ends of his wings. He then inhaled deeply, put his beak next to the base of the stack, and when he exhaled, a thin stream of flame came from his throat, lighting the dry wood into a shimmering blaze.

"Wow." Krystal said, watching as the flames began to spread along the assembled planks. "Impressive."

"Thank you." Tekamus said. "Come, warm yourselves."

Both Krystal and Kyte eagerly obeyed, inching forward until they were in the range of the fire's pleasant radiation. Kyte sighed happily, spreading her wings and basking in the fire's warm glow. It had been a while since she had felt anything other than a deep chill.

"Here." Tekamus said, stretching his head to the side and clasping in his beak a small pouch tied to his waist. "Take this."

Krystal reached out and took the pouch from his beak. She opened the simplistic knot, though she wondered how he was able to tie it in the first place, and looked inside. Resting inside the pouch were four, bean-shaped fruits, that emanated a wonderfully sweet aroma.

"What are these?" Krystal asked, taking one out.

Kyte's eyes grew wide with joy. "Dumbledang Pods!" She cried happily.

Tekamus smiled. "Indeed. I knew you would be hungry Princess. So, I took the liberty of bringing your favorite snack. And I hope you enjoy them as well." He said with an appreciative nod to Krystal.

"Thank you." She said gratefully. After handing one of the fruits to Kyte, who began to devour it hungrily, Krystal took another one in her hand and looked at it. _Dumbledang Pod,_ she thought. _What a strange name._ After prying the soft shell apart with her fingers, she brought the soft flesh inside to her mouth, and slowly took a bite of it.

The taste was pleasant, very sweet and juicy with a tender texture. However, it was far from the best fruit she had ever eaten; the produce formerly grown in Cerinia still held that honor. Even so, it fulfilled its purpose, and Krystal felt her hunger satisfied once the fruit was finished.

Soon, all three of them had finished their small meal. The young princess was given the privilege of having two of the four fruits, because of how frugally the SharpClaws had given her meals while she was imprisoned. When the last bite passed her beak, she sighed contentedly and leaned back, enjoying the fire's warm glow.

"I'm glad to see you happy." Krystal said. "You must have had a hard few days."

Kyte nodded. "It was very hard, but it's alright now. Now that I have you to protect me, I'll be safe."

"Yes." Tekamus affirmed. "And by this time tomorrow, you will be safely back in the wings of your mother."

He turned to Krystal. "What about you? What do you plan to do?"

"Well," She said, looking up at the walls of the palace. "I suppose I'll try to find an entrance to this place and try to find whoever sent the message."

"What message?" Kyte inquired.

"Someone sent a cry for help, and we believe it came from this place. That is why I'm here: To help whoever is in danger."

Kyte looked down; she seemed to be thinking deeply.

"Yes." Tekamus said. "And you should likely start your search soon, Miss Krystal. Now that we're all fed and warm, I believe it's time to part ways."

"You're leaving?" Krystal asked.

He nodded. "I have... other duties I need to attend to, not to mention the princess has been away from home for too long. She needs to return as soon as possible."

"Actually," Kyte said suddenly. "I think I'll stay here with Krystal."

"What?" Krystal asked surprised.

"Princess." Tekamus said firmly. "Definitely not. I was told to return you back to your mother, and I will not allow you to go on another one of your adventures."

"It's not another adventure." Kyte argued. "People may be in actual danger, and I feel like I can help them!"

"Hold on..." Krystal tried to say, but Tekamus cut her off.

"Princess, it's not your responsibility to help these people."

"It's not Krystal's responsibility either, and yet look what she's doing! Besides, she's never been inside the palace before, while Mother has brought me here many times. I could guide her through the traps!"

"Traps?" Krystal asked, once again being ignored by Tekamus.

"Princess, I did not fly for leagues on end to rescue you, just to put you in the care of some stranger!"

"But she's not a stranger! She helped to rescue me, and now she's going to save someone she's never even met! She's a friend to our tribe!"

"But I cannot guarantee she can protect you."

"I can." Krystal said suddenly. Kyte and Tekamus both turned to her.

"Please, outworlder." Tekamus said. "Don't let the princess convince you. She's too adventurous for her own good."

"Maybe." Krystal said. "But she has a point. I have never been inside this place before. If I went alone, I might never find the messengers. But if I were to have a guide, we might be able to traverse the halls more easily."

"But you have no idea what is in there." Tekamus said. "It could be something more dangerous than you realize. I will not be responsible for any harm that could come to the princess."

"Then don't be. If I take her inside, I bear the responsibility."

"That doesn't change the fact that she could still get hurt."

"Yes it does." Krystal said firmly. "I will look after her, and will protect her with my life. I swear."

"But..." Tekamus sighed and shook his head. "I can't allow this."

"Yes you can." Kyte said bluntly. "In fact, as princess of the CloudRunner tribe, I order you to allow this."

Tekamus glared at the princess for a minute, but eventually sighed and chuckled. "Very well Princess. If this is what you wish, I can't change your mind."

"Great!" Kyte said enthusiastically.

Krystal smiled. "Don't worry Tekamus. I swear on everything I hold dear that I will protect her."

The CloudRunner sighed. "Very well. I suppose you have proved your bravery. I place the child into your wings... err, um..."

"Hands." Krystal said with a grin.

"Yes, hands." He sighed again. "I pray to the Krazoa God that I won't regret this."

"You won't!" Kyte said cheerily. She turned to Krystal. "How about it? Are we a team?"

Krystal laughed. "Yes Kyte, I suppose we are."

The CloudRunner princess was ecstatic with excitement. "This is going to be amazing!"

Tekamus sighed. "Come, let's get you two prepared. I have some more food you can take into the palace."

* * *

Soon, the newly formed duo of Krystal and Princess Kyte were standing with two more small pouches of berries and Dumbledang Pods tied to their waists. Tekamus had guided them to the nearest entrance to the massive palace, and it was here that he said his goodbyes.

"Well outworlder." He said. "I thank you for all you have done for me and the princess."

Krystal smiled. "It was nothing. I'm happy to help."

"Don't worry Tekamus." Kyte said. "We'll be alright."

"I hope so Princess." He said. Then, he bent down low on his feet and wrapped his wings around the young princess, the embrace being gladly returned by the child.

"I will tell your mother you have been saved." He said when they broke apart. "Though, I don't know how to explain everything else to her."

"I think she'll understand." Krystal said with a smile.

"Maybe." He bowed respectfully. "Until our next meeting, outworlder. Take care Princess."

And with that, he turned around and began to flap his wings, flying away from the duo and back into the swirling storm, fading far out of sight.

"Goodbye!" Kyte called.

 _Don't worry._ Krystal thought. _I'll protect her._

"So," She said, turning to the princess. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

And with that, they turned around and made for the stone doorway into the palace. Krystal gently put a hand on it and pushed it inwards, before silently peeking inside. The interior was lit by a series of mounted torches, but she could see nothing but a long hallway.

"Come on." She said to Kyte, opening the doorway wider. "Let's get started."

Kyte nodded, and then jumped up and flew onto Krystal's shoulder, before the two stepped into the halls of the massive Krazoa Palace.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Wow. Just wow. I'm absolutely astounded at the amount of views, follows, and favorites that I've gotten the past few days. And the reviews. To everybody who left one of those awesome reviews, thank you so much, I can't express how much I appreciate your support. I'm serious, I haven't been this motivated to keep writing since I first started writing the first few chapters of "Leaving Avalice." (Way before I even considered posting it online.) A massive thanks to everybody who favorited, followed, and overall just read the story. It's because of you this chapter is out so soon._

 _And, because some of you recommended continuing these notes, I figured I might as well._

 _This chapter was a lot of fun to write, but I feel like I may have gone overboard, since I intended to make this the last chapter before Fox shows up. But, I decided that Krystal's journey through the palace probably deserves a bit more focus, not to mention this is where we're introduced to a new character._

 _If you happened to have read the last chapter before I updated it, you may seem to remember that Kyte used to be a prince rather than a princess. Honestly, that's because I wasn't even intending him to be Kyte. When I was writing it, he wasn't supposed to be a character that was important enough to even have a name. But, after I posted the chapter, I was browsing around the internet, and I noticed an article on StarFox Wiki that said Krystal was originally supposed to have a little dinosaur friend, kind of like Tricky is to Fox. And that friend was supposed to be Princess Kyte. So, I figured "Why not?", changed him into a her, and set up a situation where she would join in Krystal's mission. So, almost by accident, I guess I made another main character._

 _So, anyhow, I suppose that's about it. Once again, thank you all so much for viewing and reviewing. (Huh, I just noticed the relationship between those words.) It really means so much to me. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter, and I'll likely post the next one very soon. See you then._

 _Yours Truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman._


	4. Chapter 3

The journey through the palace was more confusing than Krystal had anticipated. With winding turns, branching halls, and some paths that led to outright dead ends, Krystal felt that if Kyte wasn't with her, she wouldn't have made it past the first floor.

"So, you've been here before?" She asked as she slowly made her way down a wooden ladder.

Kyte nodded in response to Krystal's question. "Mother has brought me and my brothers here before, to teach us about the history of our world. She's never taken us to the deepest chambers, but I have seen much of the palace."

"You have brothers?" Krystal asked as she jumped off the ladder to the floor.

"Six of them."

"No sisters?"

Kyte shook her head.

"That must be difficult." Krystal laughed.

She smiled. "It's not that bad. They're cowards, and they can be really stupid, but I... accept them. I think we should go that way."

They made a left turn and began to walk down another long hallway, supported by round columns that had beautifully delicate carvings etched and painted into their sides.

"Just 'accept'? What about love?"

"Well, no. I do love them. It's just..." She shifted on Krystal's shoulder uncomfortably.

"What is it?"

"I... don't think they return it."

"Why?"

"I... well I... I don't want to talk about it."

Krystal frowned in concern as she saw Kyte's troubled expression. She decided not to push it any further.

"Are there other tribes on this world?" She asked, changing the subject. "Besides the CloudRunners and the SharpClaws?"

"Yes, there are many: The SnowHorn tribe, the LightFoot tribe, the ThornTail tribe, the EarthWalker tribe." She said this last one with a razor's edge in her voice, that made Krystal stare at her questioningly.

"I'm sorry." Kyte said. "But the EarthWalkers aren't... well... our tribes aren't friendly to one another."

"Are they in league with the SharpClaws?"

"N... no. Not really. They... well they... Something happened to my tribe a long time ago, and the EarthWalkers refused to help. We've never really gotten along since then."

She sighed and looked away sadly. Krystal cursed herself, feeling rather foolish for bringing up so many difficulties in the child's life. She tried to think of a more lighthearted subject to discuss. However, before she could open her mouth, her eyes caught sight of something far ahead.

At the end of the hallway near a right-hand turn, an odd, pulsating purple light was being given off by a strange, floating being. As they drew closer, Krystal saw that it was some kind of squid-like creature, with dangling tentacles that seemed to end in spearheads of glowing gold. The creature was simple floating; drifting through the air as if it were completely weightless. Krystal wasn't sure what to make of it.

"What is that?" She asked.

Kyte looked up to see the strange creature. She seemed interested, but not surprised. "Mother called those things 'parasites.' She said they drift around Krazoa Palace, feeding on the energy given off by the Krazoa Spirits."

"Are they dangerous?"

Kyte shook her head. "No. Their tentacles are sharp, but they don't try to attack anything unless they're frightened."

Despite her words, Krystal still watched the being with a wary eye; those tentacles looked like they could cut through stone.

As they drew closer, the purple light emanating from the creature began to intensify in warning. Keeping as far away from it as possible, Krystal sidestepped her way past with her back to the wall, eyes glued to the ghostly squid as it hovered in the air.

"You don't need to be so scared." Kyte said as they began to walk away from the creature. "They're not going to hurt us."

"I don't know." Krystal mused. "It felt kind of agitated; as though something's been stirring it up."

"What?"

"I don't know. It just felt odd."

Kyte smiled. "Don't be so gloomy, this is supposed to be fun! We're on an adventure, aren't we?"

Krystal laughed. "I suppose so."

They walked in silence for a moment, observing the beautiful, ancient architecture of the palace as Krystal's feet tapped against the stone. Soon, they came to two branching paths that each stretched far off into the distance.

"Which way?" Krystal asked.

"Um... I don't know. Let's try right: We can always retrace our path."

Krystal smiled as she started on the path to the right. _This girl is far more mature than I first gave her credit for._

She thought back to some of the things the young princess hinted about in her life. _Well, it does sound like she's gone through a lot. And I suppose she still is going through a lot, what with that vile general attacking her planet. I hope she wasn't forced to grow up too fast._

Kyte's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, uh, Krystal?"

"Yes?"

"Um... can you... well..." She seemed to be trying to think of the right words.

"What?"

"When... when I was trapped on the ship, just before you and Tekamus saved me, I... um..."

"Yes? It's alright."

"I... heard a voice. In my head."

Krystal laughed suddenly. "Oh, of course! I haven't told you!"

"So, that voice, it was you?"

Krystal smiled and nodded. "It was me. I was trying to contact you in order to rescue you, but it didn't go as planned."

Kyte smiled. "I was worried I was going crazy." She paused. "So, you can actually talk to people with your mind?"

She nodded. "It's rather difficult to actually communicate with people, but yes I can."

"And, you can sense their emotions, like, what they're feeling, right?"

"Well, yes, I can. I've been able to do that since I was a child."

"And, did you learn how to use it better? I mean, did you learn how to read people's thoughts and such?"

"Why all of the interest?" She inquired.

"Oh, um... It's just, interesting. I mean... you know." She shifted uncomfortably.

Krystal smiled. _She's hiding something._

"Yes, I did have to be trained to hone my abilities, and I'm still not perfect at it. But it's truly been a great blessing in my life; I can't imagine myself without it."

Kyte looked down at the floor in thought. Krystal could sense a deep feeling of uncertainty and unease emanating from her mind.

"Kyte, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. How close do you think we are?"

Krystal looked up as she remembered what they were supposed to be doing. "I don't know. Frankly, I was hoping it would be a bit easier than this. Finding the messengers I mean."

Kyte laughed softly. "Wouldn't it be funny if it all turned out to be a big misunderstanding?"

Krystal laughed as well. "I surely hope not. If so, it would mean I've traveled a very long way for nothing."

"Well, not for nothing. You did help to save me, which I'm still grateful for by the way."

"It was nothing. And honestly, I really am glad I've come here. This world seems fascinating, despite the trouble it's in."

Kyte nodded and smiled. "I hope I'll have time to show you around. There are some truly beautiful places here."

"I don't doubt it." Krystal responded with her own smile. However, this smile began to drop as a strange feeling suddenly tugged forcefully at her chest.

"Krystal?" Kyte asked in concern as the vixen stopped walking and bent down suddenly, closing her eyes and clutching the bridge of her nose. "What is it?"

"I... I think I feel them."

"What?"

"Pain." She gasped. "Someone is in terrible pain."

"Is it them? The people who sent the message?"

With effort, Krystal straightened her back and nodded. "It's likely."

"Can you tell where?"

Closing her eyes, she began to mentally search the palace around her. "Somewhere that way." She pointed. "I think."

"Come on!" Kyte cried, suddenly leaping from Krystal's shoulder and taking flight. "Let's go!"

Krystal nodded and began to follow the young CloudRunner through the stone halls. With the round columns and blazing braziers flashing past as they flew and sprinted through the halls, Kyte slowly began to increase the distance between her and the huffing vixen.

"Hold on Kyte!" She called as the princess began to fly farther ahead of her. "You don't know where you're going!"

"Don't worry!" She called back. "I think they're this way!"

She made a sharp turn and began to fly down another long corridor, while Krystal lagged far behind. _What does she think she's doing? She's going to get herself hurt!_

The promise that she had made to Tekamus nagged in her mind, and she began to increase her stride.

"Kyte, please!" She cried. "Wait for me!"

She either didn't hear, or was so caught up in the moment that she couldn't respond, and continued to increase the distance. Soon, she turned again down another branching hall, and flew out of Krystal's sight.

"Kyte!" Krystal yelled. She began to sprint even faster, despite her chest beginning to burn from the strain. Almost slipping and falling as she turned, she began to follow the young princess down the hall, just as she disappeared down another hallway.

"Kyte, for the love of the gods!" She screamed, starting to get rather distraught. Dashing past another one of the floating parasites, she madly followed the young CloudRunner, worried that she would lose her and be unable to find her again in the maze-like halls of the palace.

Fortunately, her fear was in vain, as she soon found the young princess sitting at the foot of a tall door that blocked off the hallway she was trying to follow.

"Kyte!" Krystal yelled. "What were you doing?"

Kyte didn't seem to hear the distress in her voice. "They're past this door! C'mon, let's open it!"

"Kyte, I don't know what you were..." She stopped as she suddenly realized the child was right. Pushing her mind past the door, she could feel that the person in pain lay just beyond it.

"How..." She muttered, staring at the energized child.

Kyte misunderstood the question. "I think it has something to do with these crystals."

Krystal looked up at the door and saw what she was talking about. Embedded into the center of the door were five glistening gemstones, that were arranged as to be unusually prominent on the otherwise unadorned door.

"What do you mean?" Krystal asked.

"The ancient Krazoa liked to create puzzles and tests all around their homes, to test the worthiness of whoever ventured there. Once we solve this puzzle, the door will open!"

Krystal chuckled softly at the authoritative attitude Kyte had taken on. _I definitely misjudged her maturity._

"Well then," she said. "Let's solve it, and quickly!"

She stepped up to the door and gently rested a hand on it, trying to observe every detail. The five gemstones were arranged in an X, and each one sported a unique color: Red, blue, purple, green, and white. Krystal took hold of the white one in the middle, and gently pulled on it. It didn't budge. She tried pushing on it like a button and, though nothing happened at first, she was surprised when the gem sunk down into the door.

She stepped back, almost expecting the door to open. However, the white gem slowly pushed itself back out to its previous position, and the door remained where it was.

"Maybe it's a combination." Kyte suggested. "Try pressing the other ones."

Krystal nodded and pressed down onto the blue gem. At first, nothing happened again, however, as the gem slid back to its first position, Krystal noticed that a subtle light began to glow inside the gem. Brighter and brighter it glowed until a beam of blue light erupted from the gem, shooting past Krystal and stopping at a stone panel that hung from the side of a pillar.

"I think that's right!" Kyte exclaimed. "Push the other ones!"

Krystal followed suit and soon, four lights of shimmering color were emanating from the locked door. However, it didn't show signs of unlocking.

"What now?" Kyte asked.

"I'm not sure." Krystal mused. "Perhaps..." She pressed down on the white gem in the middle once again, but to little avail.

They both frowned in thought. "Maybe... um." Kyte shook her head. "Maybe it's something to do with the lights?"

Their eyes both followed the beams of color to see that each ended at four, identical stone panels that hung from the pillars supporting the hall.

"Let me see." Krystal walked over and observed the stone panel that stopped the green beam. Upon touching it, she noticed that the panel was able to swivel on its support, allowing free movement.

"Hmm." She mused, trying to understand the significance. Upon spinning the panel completely around, she discovered the solution to the puzzle; framed into the stone was a perfectly clear, beautifully polished mirror.

"Ahh!" She sighed. "We have to redirect the light."

Positioning the mirror so that the green beam reflected off the polished surface, she began to carefully aim the light back at the door.

"Aim for the white one!" Kyte suggested.

Krystal nodded, and soon the green beam was shimmering perfectly in the middle of the white gem. Within minutes, Krystal had redirected the other three beams of light with the polished mirrors directly into the center of the white gem. As she directed the purple beam into position, she almost expected to hear some type of victory melody.

However, it didn't seem to make a difference, and the door remained closed.

"What now?" Krystal asked, starting to become disheartened.

Kyte didn't share Krystal's worries. "Now we've just got to press the white one!"

And before Krystal could respond, the young CloudRunner ran up to the door, flew up to the white gem, and, with some difficulty, pushed the gem into the stone with her feet.

As the two stood back a ways and observed the door, a deep rumbling began to sound from inside. One by one, the beams of light emanating from the colored gems snuffed out, and the white gem in the middle began to glow with a blinding light of its own. Slowly but surely, the stone door began to rise up, exposing the room behind.

Krystal and Kyte both observed their handiwork with extreme satisfaction, massive smiles on both of their faces. However, these smiles melted from their faces as the door opened completely and they saw what lay beyond.

"Oh no..." The young princess muttered.

The large room ahead of them looked to have housed a fierce battle. Bodies of huge creatures littered the stone floor, along with scattered weapons and armor that Krystal recognized as SharpClaw armaments. Slowly, Krystal bent down and picked the young CloudRunner up, holding her gently in her arms.

"You don't have to look Kyte." She muttered sadly.

"I..." She seemed to be very distraught at the sight. "I'm okay."

Step by step, Krystal began to make her way into the horrible battlefield. She observed the bodies of the strange creatures as they passed. They were large reptilian beasts, with flat crests on their heads that gave the appearance of a crown, along with two long horns that protruded from their skulls, as well as a shorter horn that stuck from their noses. Most of them wore battered iron armor.

"What are these?" Krystal asked softly, bending down and resting a hand on one of the slain creatures.

"They... They're... um, sorry." Kyte stuttered. "They're EarthWalkers. I... don't know why... um..."

"It's okay." Krystal said softly, very worried for the child's emotional state. She doubted that the young princess had ever seen a sight such as this. "It's okay." She repeated.

Tears began to well up in Kyte's eyes. Quickly, she wiped them away. "I'm fine." She said shakily.

Slowly, Krystal climbed to her feet. "One of them is still alive." She muttered. "I can feel him."

"Where... where is he?"

Krystal looked out over the dead bodies of the EarthWalkers, looking for any sign of movement. Suddenly, they heard a cough, followed by a weak voice. "Here..."

"Come on!" Krystal cried and dashed over to the direction the voice came from. Lying limply on the floor, covered in wounds and blood, was an EarthWalker who was noticeably smaller than the rest. He wore a jeweled headdress on his bony crown, and had other such jewelry adorning his body, unlike the obvious armor the other EarthWalkers were wearing.

"You..." He coughed. "Got my message?"

Krystal nodded, gently resting a hand on his nose. "I came as fast as I could."

The EarthWalker began to laugh softly, despite the pain it obviously caused him. "Who could have known that an outworlder would come to our aid rather than our own people?"

"What happened here?" Krystal asked, looking around at the carnage.

He groaned. "The treachery of the SharpClaws knows no bounds. They came upon us; massacred us."

"But why? What were you doing here?"

"Searching... studying..." He began to cough violently again. "We sought an end to the war. We searched for them, pleaded for them to help us."

Krystal frowned. The poor thing seemed to be having difficulty keeping his thoughts together. "Please, be at peace. Tell me everything."

"We..." He groaned and closed his eyes.

"K... Krystal?"

She turned around to see Kyte standing a good distance away from the injured creature, watching the two with wet eyes.

"Can... can you comfort him?"

Krystal bit her lip at the child's humble request. "I'll try."

She closed her eyes and reached out to the suffering EarthWalker's mind. Slipping by the broken barriers, she tried her best to take a portion of the pain upon herself. Thankfully, it seemed to work, and the look of misery began to lessen from his face.

"Th... thank you." He muttered.

"Now please." Krystal said. "Tell us what you were looking for."

"The... The spirits of the ancient Krazoa. We were sent by our queen to gather these spirits, then plead to the Krazoa God to deliver us from the tyranny of the SharpClaws."

"Would that work?" Kyte asked, inching closer to the injured EarthWalker.

He nodded. "I believe so. I have faith that he would show mercy on us."

He sighed and closed his eyes sadly. "But the SharpClaws were waiting for us. They could not open the gates to the sacred shrine, so they forced us to. They must have thought to take the spirits for themselves."

He growled in contempt. "Foolishness. Only the pure of heart can take on the power of the Krazoa Spirits. All they succeeded in doing was scattering the spirits."

"Where?" Krystal inquired.

"All across the planet." He responded. "Fleeing back to their original abodes. Places of safety."

He groaned again as the pain began to wash over his body once more.

"What can I do?" Krystal asked.

"I... I am dying. I have... failed. But you... you can... do it..." He began to cough violently again. "Please... find... the spirits... release them... stop this war and save my world..."

With effort, he raised his head and pointed to an open door on the opposite side of the room. "There... is the first... take the test... stop..."

He let out a pained sigh, then rested his head back upon the floor. As he closed his eyes, Krystal could feel his mind slipping away into darkness, never to wake again.

She sighed and tenderly touched his face. "Rest easy." She muttered.

"Is... is he..."

Krystal turned to see Kyte looking just as distraught as before. She was staring at the EarthWalker's body as though she thought her eyes were deceiving her.

"Yes. He's dead." She said sadly.

Kyte lowered her head, tears beginning to drip down her face. Krystal watched the crying child for a moment, before she stood up and walked over to her. "Kyte." She said softly.

The young princess looked up at her, wiping her eyes.

"I'm..." She paused. "Let's go."

Krystal took one more look at the fallen EarthWalkers before she slowly nodded. Side by side, the vixen and the young CloudRunner walked away from the battlefield; both their hearts deeply weighed down from what they had seen and heard.

* * *

"Kyte?"

The two had been following the path that the EarthWalker had pointed them on in complete silence. Neither said a word, each deep in thought and raging conflict. Krystal was considering the weight of what she had been told by the dying EarthWalker, while Kyte was struggling with the simple fact that she had never seen death such as that before. It made for a very solemn journey. However, Krystal soon broke that silence in concern for her young friend.

"Y... yes?

"I'm so sorry for what you had to see in there."

"I..." Kyte said quietly. "I'm fine. I just... I don't know."

"That's not an easy thing to witness." Krystal said softly. "Especially for a child."

"I... I never thought I'd feel that way... for..." She stopped and looked away.

"An EarthWalker?"

She nodded.

"What happened between your tribes?" Krystal asked softly.

"We... we were..." She shook her head. "I still don't want to talk about it."

Krystal sighed. "That's your choice. I just think you might feel better if you did."

They remained silent for a moment, before Krystal asked the young princess another question. "Do you think it's true?"

"What?"

"Do you believe these spirits can stop that general's war?"

Kyte nodded. "Yes. Or, I hope so at least. I don't think there's another way."

"Well then, it's a good thing someone was able to tell us about the spirits."

Kyte nodded, still looking somber

Krystal smiled. "You know, you don't have to be so gloomy; we're on an adventure aren't we?"

The young CloudRunner smiled at the irony. "I guess."

"And you know," Krystal continued. "This adventure kind of turned out to be more important than we realized. If we really can gather these spirits, and they're as powerful as they're said to be, that could mean we would be stopping a planet-sized war."

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We'd be heroes, wouldn't we?"

"Saviors of the whole planet."

The words brought a smile to Kyte's face. "That would be kinda amazing."

"It would."

"So, does that mean you're going to be staying here?"

Krystal nodded without hesitation. "Scales was right: This world is in distress. And I'm not going to leave until everyone and everything on it is safe."

Kyte beamed with returning joy. "Oh yeah!" She exclaimed. "We're going to save Dinosaur Planet together!"

"Of course we are. After all, where would I be without my guide?"

The young princess giggled softly.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Dang it. I really tried to make this the last chapter with Krystal for now. Unfortunately, I think I let my head and fingers get carried away, and now it'd probably be a bit too long if I were to finish off their adventures in the palace. Aw well. I suppose last chapter was rather short, so I'll let you have a longer one._

 _Anyhow, this chapter was a bit more difficult to write, since I wasn't positive how much of Kyte's character I wanted to explore, while at the same time trying to make their journey through the palace feel unique. Although, I'm still happy with how it turned out, and I hope you agree._

 _Now don't worry, next chapter is definitely where Fox is going to show up, right after Krystal and Kyte finish the first part of their mission, and then get attacked by Andr... oops. Don't wanna give it away. But don't worry everyone, the hero's going to be here soon._

 _Anyway, thank you all again for viewing and reviewing, I'll have the next chapter out as soon as possible, and I'll see you then._

 _Yours Truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman._

 _*Edit - I think I kind of rushed the end scene when I first wrote it, so I tried to polish it up a bit. Hope it's better._


	5. Chapter 4

"Are you sure this is it?"

Kyte nodded. "I think so. Mother said they're how you travel to the temple's most sacred spots."

"How do they work?"

"Uh..."

After following the path to the first spirit for a short while, Krystal and Kyte had found what appeared to be a dead end. After a moment of confusion, the young princess had pointed out a circular, glowing altar in the center of the floor, identifying it as a gateway to the shrine.

"Have you used one before?" Krystal asked, bending down to study the yellow altar.

"N... no. Not really. I mean, Mother told us about them, but she didn't let us use them."

"Hmm." Krystal hesitantly put a hand on the shimmering platform. As her hand touched the glowing glass, she could feel an energy emanating from its core, causing her skin to tingle.

"I suppose we could just try standing on it." She said. "It's likely not any more complicated than that."

Straightening up, she slowly stepped out onto the platform. Standing with both feet on the glass, she waited for a moment to see if it would work. However, nothing seemed to happen immediately.

She frowned, looking down at her young companion. "I'm not sure what..."

"Oh, Krystal!" Kyte suddenly exclaimed. "Look!"

Krystal's eyes shot down to see small, yellow balls of light seeping from the platform like drops of water. Pulsing and swirling, they rose up around Krystal and shrouded her from view. When the lights eventually dissolved, the blue vixen had vanished from the spot she had stood.

"Wow," Kyte whispered. "That's so cool."

She glanced around the empty room, as though she expected her new friend to be hiding somewhere out of sight, before she set her eyes back onto the mystical device.

"Well, I guess it's my turn." She said to herself.

The princess waddled up to the platform, and with a small hop, jumped onto its glowing face. Stepping to the same spot that Krystal had stood, she turned and began to wait, to see if it would work for her the same way.

As before, nothing seemed to happen at first. However, when a moment passed, Kyte noticed the same drops of light begin to seep up from the transporter's depths. As the balls of shimmering beauty began to swirl around her the same way they had swirled around Krystal, Kyte began to feel a tad apprehensive.

 _What if this hurts?_ She wondered. _What if it takes me to the wrong place? What if we can't get back?_

Despite her fears, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, outspread her wings, and waited for the altar to activate.

And sure enough, the shimmering lights began to consume her, covering her like a blanket, and then seeping their way into her skin. From every spot that the lights touched, Kyte could feel a pleasant warmth, and an odd tingling sensation. The tingling began to intensify, almost to the point of pain, and Kyte began to hear a high pitched hum ringing in her ears.

And then, suddenly, it was gone. Kyte opened her eyes to see Krystal, looking at her with concern plastered on her face. Kyte tried to speak, and step forward, but instead stumbled off the altar and fell onto her face.

"Kyte?" Krystal asked urgently, and ran forward to help her young friend. At first, she was afraid that Kyte was crying, but as she helped her back up to her feet, she realized that the princess was giggling furiously.

"That," She laughed. "felt really weird."

Krystal smiled and laughed as well. "Yes. It did, didn't it?"

She waited for a moment until her young friend could regain control of herself. "Are you ready?" She asked.

Kyte nodded, still a large grin on her beak. "Yeah, I guess."

Krystal helped the young princess up onto her shoulder, before turning around and taking a look at where they had been taken.

Stretching out in front of them was another long hallway, lit by burning braziers, and supported by beautifully carved columns. Different from the other halls that they had traveled were the pictures and drawings painted and etched into the walls, depicting figures and creatures that Krystal didn't recognize, though she enjoyed observing them for a moment. Casting her eyes away from the drawings, she looked down to the end of the long hall to see a tall, thin doorway, that appeared to be closed off by a metal grate.

 _Probably another puzzle._ She thought, starting to walk towards it. _I doubt it will be too complicated, we'll be able to figure…_

"Krystal! Look out!"

Before she could react, Krystal suddenly felt a burst of heat wash across her as an orange light filled her vision. Stumbling backwards in surprise, she fell back onto her rear, causing Kyte to fly off her shoulder and fall to the ground beside her.

Krystal blinked once, twice, and three times before her eyes adjusted to the glaring light, and she could see what it was.

A burning pillar of flame was spewing out of a small hole in the wall, and blocking their path. Krystal opened her mouth, about to let out a confused series of curses, when the stream of fire began to disappear, slowly drawing back into the wall.

"What… what was…"

Krystal suddenly heard her young friend let out a pained groan.

"Kyte?" She asked, turning around and seeing the CloudRunner lying on the ground, gently stroking the side of her head. "Oh no, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I am. I hit my head, but I'm fine."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't…"

"No," She interrupted. "I should've warned you. I knew about those traps before, I just forgot about them."

Kyte pointed to the floor, to a small, round stone that was slightly higher than the others making up the stone floor.

"They're fire traps." She explained. "You see them a lot in the palace, so you have to watch your step."

Krystal bent down to observe the trap. Now that she was looking at it closely, she could see a red emblem in the form of a burning ball of flame. She gently put her hand on the center, and putting a bit of pressure down, she pushed the stone into the floor. With a hiss and a roar, the pillar of flame shot out from the wall again, blocking their path until Krystal removed her hand, and it slowly withdrew once again.

"Alright," She said. "I'm glad I know what to look for now."

She stood up and motioned to the princess. "Let's get going."

"Okay." She said, and the two started down the long hall again, now carefully watching every step.

It didn't take long for the two to reach the end of the hall, and though they were both still wary of traps, they each breathed a sigh of relief as they came to the closed gate.

"Alright," Krystal said. "Let's figure out how to open this gate, and then we can take this 'test.'"

"Right."

The vixen and the princess studied the gate for a moment, before Kyte pointed out a lever on the wall just next to it. Krystal nodded, grasped the lever, and pulled it experimentally. However, rather than reveal another puzzle like they were expecting, both of them were surprised when the gate rose up into the ceiling.

"Wow." Kyte said, peering in. "I thought it would be harder than that."

Krystal frowned. "Maybe the Krazoa figured that whoever would be here would have solved enough puzzles already. Or…"

"What?"

"Well, maybe the spirit's test is much more difficult than anything else they could have imagined."

Kyte smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure we can do it."

"I hope so."

The two stepped into the spirit's shrine, both scanning the huge room for the spirit itself. Other than a group of large urns pushed to the side, and a large statue of a masked Krazoa near the back, the shrine seemed oddly empty. Neither Krystal nor Kyte could see any means of activating the spirit's test.

"Is there a specific way of summoning the spirit?" Krystal asked.

"Uh, I don't know. The EarthWalker didn't say anything about it, did he?"

"Well, how then do you suppose…"

Her words were cut short as her ears suddenly perked up, and she began scanning the shrine intently.

"Krystal?" Kyte asked. "What is it?"

"Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"A voice, I think."

She stepped forward. "Hello?" She called. "Is the spirit of the Krazoa present?"

 _Indeed._

Both Krystal and Kyte jumped in shock as they heard the strange and sudden voice reverberate through the hall. Their eyes drew towards the center of the shrine, where a shimmering, purple mist was gathering. The mist slowly condensed into the image of a robed, masked figure, who cast a purple light around where it stood.

 _I can see you have a pure heart._ It said, in a voice that seemed to be heard by the soul, rather than the body or mind. _Why do you request my assistance?_

Kyte seemed completely awestruck, with her beak hanging open as she tried to drink in every detail of the otherworldly being. Krystal meanwhile stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

"We've come because we were told that you and your brethren could help the people of this world stop the war that is plaguing them."

The spirit seemed to think for a moment, before it slowly shook its head. _We cannot._

"What?" Kyte asked, stepping up in front of the spirit. "Why? The EarthWalker said you could!"

 _Ah, the young princess of the CloudRunners. I can see that your mother's love for your home has been passed to you._ His head drew up to look at Krystal. _We are spirits of peace, not war, and we cannot control the freewill of other beings. If they wish for peace, they must find it themselves._

Kyte looked positively downtrodden, as she lowered her head in mourning.

"There must be something you can do?" Krystal pleaded.

 _There is._

Kyte's head shot up. "What?"

 _You see, though it is the responsibility of you and your people to stop the war, we can help repair what has been broken._

"What do you mean?"

 _The SharpClaws' lust for power has caused much more damage to this world than anyone realizes. Through their shortsighted actions, the very ground upon which you stand is breaking apart, and very soon, they will have no world to rule. Every being who lives upon its soil will perish._

"You mean, this war is going to destroy the planet?"

The spirit nodded solemnly.

"Krystal," Kyte pleaded. "We have to stop this! We can't let that happen to my home!"

 _Do not despair._ The spirit said. _As I said, my brethren and I have the power to fix this tragedy. However, it is up to you, otherworlder, to prevent it from happening once more._

Krystal nodded. "I will do whatever I need to."

 _Good. Take my test, prove you are worthy to be my vessel, and I will guide you further._

"What do I need to do?"

The spirit slowly floated high up into the air, before drifting to the far side of the room, above the statue bearing his likeness.

 _This will be a Test of Perception. You are only tasked with crossing my shrine, and touching the feet of this statue. Then, I will be yours. Do you understand?_

She nodded. "I do."

 _You may stop whenever you wish it, however, I ask young Kyte to not interfere, as this is your test, and yours alone._

"Okay." Kyte said. "I'm sure Krystal can do it."

Krystal smiled and nodded at her young friend, before looking back up at the spirit. "I'm ready."

 _Then begin._

Krystal breathed in a sigh, before taking a step forward. However, the second her foot touched the floor, her world suddenly exploded.

Every sense in her body turned against her. Her vision was warping, pounding, flipping around. Up was down, up was everywhere. She was on the walls, the ceiling, floating in the air.

Every step was an explosion in her ears, and a knife being pierced through her sandals. The fire burning in the braziers was casting its burning hatred, directly into her bones, and cooking her flesh.

She could smell everything in the room, everything in the palace, everything outside of her body. Did she have a body? Yes. Her own blood was dripping through her veins, pounding with a steady beat. She could smell every drop. If it stopped, she would hear it, taste it.

Everything attacked her all at once. The walls, the light, the floor, the fire, her fur, the stone, the air, her clothes, her skin. Everything burned. Everything blinded. She was numb. She was everywhere and nowhere. She couldn't think.

 _Krystal._

What was she, why did she exist? She was numb. Nothing was real, her body had been lying to her all her life.

 _Krystal, c'mon! I know it's hard, but I know you can do it! Just walk forward!_

Walk? What was it to walk? Could one truly expect to move themselves in the infinite depths of space and time? She could feel it. She could feel everything at once. She was overwhelmed. It wasn't possible. It was over. She couldn't exist anymore. It was never going to…

 _Krystal!_

It stopped. All at once, Krystal found herself at the foot of the statue, leaning against the cool stone with both hands. Realizing she needed air, she took in a deep breath, and let it out in confusion.

 _What happened?_ She thought in a daze. _Where am I?_

Slowly and unsteadily, she stood back up, rubbing her eyes and trying to regain her composure. Little by little, recent memories began to pop back up. The palace, the EarthWalkers, the spirit, the test.

 _The test,_ she thought. _I passed it._

"You did it!" Kyte cried out in joy, before dashing to the vixen and wrapping her wings around her leg. "I knew you could!"

Krystal, through her mental haze, smiled and looked down at her young friend in gratitude. "Thank you, Kyte. I couldn't have done it without you."

 _Well done._ The spirit said. _You have proved that you can pass forward through trials, even when your senses betray you, and cause you pain. You are indeed worthy to bear me._

Krystal sighed and shook her head, still trying to recover her full cognition, before looking up at the spirit. "And where do I take you when you do?"

 _There is a sacred shrine, at the very peak of the palace, in honor to the great Krazoa God. There, you will release me, as well as my brethren, when you pass their tests as well. And I have no doubt you will, otherworlder._

"I understand."

 _Good. Now come._

Krystal stepped towards the spirit, while Kyte quickly put a bit of distance between the two, while still keeping her eyes glued on them. The spirit slowly floated down to the same level as Krystal, until the two were face-to-face.

As smoothly as the sunset, the spirit began to lose its tangible form, until it was nothing more than a ball of purple mist. The mists began to swirl around Krystal, faster and faster, until they penetrated her chest, seeping into her body and lifting her high into the air. Krystal outspread her arms as she felt the spirit's presence flowing into every inch of her, and as it slowly carried her back to solid ground, she felt a strength, and a rejuvenation that she hadn't felt for a long while.

 _It is done._ The spirit whispered in her body. _Now you must take me to the shrine, and release me._

Krystal nodded, before turning to Kyte. "Are you ready?"

Kyte didn't respond, and she was staring at Krystal with an awed look on her face.

"Kyte? What is it?"

"Your eyes are purple!"

"What?" She asked, touching the skin beneath her eye socket. And sure enough, the entirety of her eyes, from the pupils to the whites, were glowing the same luminous shade of purple that had enshrouded the spirit.

"That's amazing." Kyte whispered.

Krystal laughed. "Well, hopefully it isn't permanent. I'm rather attached to my own shade."

* * *

As the duo once again began their journey through the palace, Krystal found that bearing the spirit in her body seemed to have more benefits than she first realized. Any trace of fatigue, or general tiredness she had felt had all but disappeared, and she noticed that the cut on her arm, given to her by the Jugrath Birds, had healed completely, fur and all.

But more than that, she found herself to have been stimulated mentally as well. Journeying through the palace, she found that she had a much better sense of direction through its halls, as well as a keener eye for traps and puzzles. If she didn't know the stakes that had been placed on her, she would have been sad to have to give the spirit up.

But she did understand the stakes. She knew what was riding on her success, and she was going to do whatever it took to stop the destruction that was looming over Dinosaur Planet. She wouldn't let the same thing happen to Kyte's home, as had happened to her own.

 _Kyte,_ she thought. That was something else that had been bothering her. Though she was finding it difficult to remember what exactly she had experienced during the test, she did remember hearing something at the end. At first, she had believed it to be her own subconsciousness, urging her onward, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized this could not be true. As she thought about it, she realized their was only one explanation.

"So Kyte," She said as the two continued to walk through the halls, drawing closer to the sacred shrine. "What were you doing as I was taking my test?"

"Oh, uh…" She stuttered. "I was, just watching. I wanted to help, because it… uh, looked like you were in trouble. But, I knew you could do it, so I just watched."

"Oh really?" She said with a smile. "Is that all you did?"

"Well, yeah. What… what else could I do?"

"Because, when I was in the middle of the test, and I was almost tempted to give up, I heard something."

Kyte looked surprised, much more surprised than she probably should have looked. "Really? What?"

"A voice. A voice that urged me onward, and encouraged me. Your voice in fact."

"Oh, uh… that's weird."

"Indeed. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were telepathic like me."

"That's… that's silly…"

"Kyte," Krystal grinned. "You don't have to pretend anymore. I can feel your apprehension."

"I… what do you…" Kyte sighed, before deciding to come clean. "I'm sorry. I guess I should have told you."

"It's alright. I can understand being timid about it. Having a power like that can give people strange ideas about who you are."

"It's not just that. I…" She sighed. "Remember when I told you I don't think my brothers loved me?"

Krystal nodded.

"Well, this is why. They're scared of me, because I could always sense their emotions, and read their thoughts. Once I started to talk inside their head, it got really bad. They started insulting me all the time and playing nasty pranks on me."

She sighed, and looked towards the ground. "They think I'm a freak."

"Kyte." Krystal stated, stopping and bending down to put her hands on the princess' shoulders. "You are not a freak. I know it can be hard to hold a power like this, but trust me when I say it is going to be a blessing in your life. You just have to learn how to use it."

Kyte looked thoughtful for a moment, before looking back into Krystal's eyes. "Will you teach me?" She asked quietly.

Krystal smiled. "Of course. I'll tell you everything I know."

"Thank you." Kyte whispered, before wrapping her wings around the vixen in an embrace. Krystal gladly returned the hug, and the two knelt happily for a moment.

That is, until they were interrupted by a sudden voice behind them.

"How touching…"

Krystal jumped in surprise and spun around. Her face switched from one of shock, to that of horror upon seeing the voice's owner.

"You…" was all she had time to say, before a blast of red energy enveloped her. She fell to the ground, unmoving, seemingly lifeless.

"Krystal!" Kyte cried. But before she could do anything, the same blast of red energy struck her, and she fell to the floor beside Krystal.

The last thing she heard as her mind slipped into darkness, was the cold, high voice whispering this;

"You're not supposed to be here yet. I've waited too long for you to ruin this…"

Everything went dark.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Well, it's back. After far too long, I've put up the next chapter to this. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it, because I enjoyed writing it._

 _Now, once again, I know that it's been a very long time since I've updated this, but I have been going through some problems. Well, specifically, I haven't yet solved my biggest problems._

 _But, none of that matters. I've got this chapter up, and you all can expect a few more chapters in the near future. I'll be focusing on this story for a little while, maybe until it's done completely. But I guess we'll have to wait and see._

 _But anyway, thank you all for viewing and reviewing, and I'll see you later._

 _Your's Truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman._

 _*Edit: I polished up a few minor words and sentences, and added a few paragraphs right after the test. Hopefully it's better._


	6. Chapter 5

_**Some time later, in another corner of the Lylat system.**_

The first thing that Fox noticed when he woke up was a bad taste in his mouth. It wasn't a specific taste, such as the aftermath of a strong meal, but rather an overpowering sensation of uncleanliness: The result of days of personal neglect.

Fox, still lying in bed, coughed and licked his lips, trying to somehow rid his mouth of the vile taste, but to little avail. He tried to clean his teeth manually, brushing the sharp fangs with the tip of his tongue in an attempt to wipe the filth off, but he might as well have been trying to clean a garbage cruiser with a sponge.

After some time, Fox could take no more of the sensation gripping his tongue. Begrudgingly, he came to only one conclusion: He would have to get out of bed.

With a sigh, he slowly rolled over, and pushed his legs out of the covers, until they were hanging out over the floor. Rubbing his eyes with two fingers, he sat on the edge of his bed for a moment, still trying to work up the conviction to stand up.

 _What time is it?_ He thought, looking up at the clock on the metal wall. It was 11:30, in Corneria City at least. When traveling through space, one's body has to adjust to the lack of the day cycle, and the time of day never did really matter. Even still, Fox liked to see, even if to imagine what it was like at his home at the moment.

Of course, even if Fox wasn't flying through the depths of space, on his father's ship, the Great Fox, he still would have found it difficult to slink out of bed most "mornings." With the lack of any meaningful work the past few years, Fox and his team had been down in the dumps in more way than one. Everybody was being affected by the boredom in one way or another. Except of course for…

"Fox?" A series of knocks suddenly sounded on the door of Fox's room. "Are you up yet?"

Fox sighed, with a smile tugging at the edge of his lips. _Speak of the devil._

"Yes, Peppy. I am." He answered.

"Well then get your furry butt out here! We're wasting daylight!"

Fox could hear the old rabbit chuckling to himself at his little joke, before he spoke up again.

"Come on, son! You've got a lot of work to do today, and you're not gonna do any of it by lying asleep in bed."

Fox rolled his eyes. Work. Of course. Check the nav-charts, keep an eye on reactor stability, scan news reports and bounty lists, and watch as ROB did all the work that might have actually kept Fox engaged, albeit only slightly. Fox was starting to think that he could have stayed in bed all day, and the Great Fox would run along just as smoothly. Well, as smoothly as it had been running lately.

Even still, he sighed and slowly crawled out of bed, stretching and letting out a great yawn.

 _Who knows?_ He thought, as he began to get himself ready. _Maybe something will actually happen today._

He sincerely doubted it.

* * *

Some time later, he was sitting aboard the captain's chair on the Great Fox's bridge, pouring over recent bounty lists, crime reports, and criminal investigations. He didn't really know why, as there hadn't been any major events in weeks, but he still studied the list with a wistful eye, hoping that something would pop up that needed his and his team's specialized skills.

He wasn't alone on the bridge. Both Peppy and Slippy were each absorbed in their own endeavors. Peppy was sitting at a console, likely updating a log, or scanning the ship's systems; while Slippy was tinkering with ROB's inner workings. The robot was hunched over, deactivated, while the short toad poked around with the gears, wires, and joints inside. There was nothing really wrong with ROB, Slippy just needed something to do as desperately as Fox did, and there was nothing he liked more than playing around with machines.

"Found anything, Fox?" He called out, poking his head out from behind the copper bot.

"No," Fox sighed. "Not yet. Nothing's happening, just like yesterday, the day before…"

"Okay, okay!" Slippy said quickly. "I was just asking." He quickly got back to his work with ROB.

"Well," Peppy said, spinning around in his chair and facing the vulpine and amphibian. "I for one like the quiet. These past few years, we've been doing nothing but chasing bandits, and catching common criminals. It's nice to have a bit of peace for once."

Fox sighed. "Peppy, it's been _weeks_ since we've had work. We haven't chased bandits or caught criminals since that little raid out on MacBeth. If there's anymore _peace,_ we're going to go bankrupt."

"Yeah," Slippy agreed. "And the Great Fox hasn't been doing so well lately. I think she could afford a few repairs."

"Which we can't do, if we don't have any money." Fox huffed.

Peppy raised an eyebrow. "No money? In case you've forgotten, we did just close a very promising deal with Mr. and Mrs. O'Riley. They've offered a lot of money for our services."

"I know Peppy, but it's honestly just not the same. An escort mission for a pair of fat cats' private cruiser isn't what I had in mind."

Slippy nodded. "You know, I don't think they really need us for protection, I think they just want to show us off."

Fox grumbled in his throat, mocking the O'Rileys' thick, northern Cornerian accents. "Hmm, yes. We have acquired the heroes of the Lylat system, as our own personal escorts! Truly, we are the most important and dashingly extravagant persons, in all the system!"

Slippy burst out laughing. "That's great, Fox! You sound just like them!"

Peppy removed his glasses and scratched his nose. "I'll agree that their offer does seem a little… needless. But, to be frank, we need the money, Fox. We should be grateful we've been offered work at all."

"Peppy, I don't just want 'work.' If I did, I would disband the team, and get a job in some fast food place."

"Well then tell me, Fox; What do you want?"

"I…" Fox sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know. Something more important. Something that would actually help people. I don't want to just sit around and rust."

With a great sigh, he stood up from his chair, and began to walk away.

"Fox?" Slippy called after him. "Where're you going?"

"Nowhere." He answered. "I'm just tired."

Peppy sighed as Fox exited the bridge, and began to walk back to his quarters. "He's too much like his father." He muttered.

"You say that a lot." Slippy said, smiling weakly.

Peppy chuckled. "It's because it's true. I can't tell you how many times James confided feelings of uselessness with me. Even when he was stopping hordes of criminals and saving countless lives, he always felt as though he wasn't doing enough. He never really felt satisfied with himself until… well…"

"What?"

"He met Fox's mother."

"Oh."

Peppy nodded. "I think that often the reason that people feel incomplete is because, well, they are incomplete. People need a partner, someone to confide in and trust completely. Two halves of a whole, as it was."

"So, you're saying Fox needs a girlfriend?"

Peppy grinned. "Maybe."

After a quick second of thought, he suddenly spun around in his chair to face the monitor again.

"But for now," he said. "I think there's something else we could do to help him."

With that, the old rabbit began to scan the databanks, searching for a way to contact an old friend.

* * *

Not long afterwards, Slippy was at the door of Fox's quarters, knocking furiously.

"Hey! Fox! Come out!"

"What is it?" He responded, looking up from a book, feeling somewhat irritated.

"There's a call for you!"

Fox sighed and shut the book. "Great…" He muttered. "I do hope it's important…"

Nevertheless, he set the book down onto a table, stood up, and walked to the door. With a hiss, the steel door opened to reveal Slippy's excited face.

"What is it?" Fox asked, crossing his arms.

"There's a message for you!" He said, almost hopping with excitement. "And it's from General Pepper!"

That caught his attention. "What? Really?"

"Yeah, he says he needs to speak with you, c'mon!"

With that, he spun around and began to sprint down the hallway, back to the bridge. With a sigh and a shrug, Fox began to follow the toad.

 _This'd better not be a prank,_ he thought.

* * *

Despite his doubts, as the two burst back into the bridge, Fox saw someone he hadn't seen for a very long time.

General Pepper, the grizzled old commander of the Cornerian Defense Force, was standing in the middle of the room. Or rather, a holographic projection of the old dog was waiting with his hands grasped behind his back, talking lightly with Peppy.

"General Pepper!" Fox exclaimed, a bit too loudly.

The old dog turned around and smiled as he caught sight of Fox. "Hello, Fox. It's been a long time."

"Y-yeah, it has." Remembering protocol, Fox gave the general a respectful salute. He suddenly felt a burst of self consciousness as he glanced down to his disheveled and all-too-casual clothing.

"Yes, well then. I'm sorry for showing up so unexpectedly, but Peppy called me and informed me about your team's situation. I hear that you've been 'down in the dumps,' if you'll pardon the phrase."

"Well, uh…" The vulpine scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "A bit. We just haven't been too lucky when it comes to work."

"Indeed." The general responded. "Well, I think you'll be happy to know that you couldn't have contacted me at a better time. We've got an assignment that I think you and your team would be perfectly equipped to handle."

"Alright, give me the rundown."

"Well, let me begin." He cleared his throat again. "You have heard of the planet Sauria, correct?"

"Sauria?" Slippy repeated. "You mean that backwater planet covered in giant monsters?"

Pepper chuckled. "Sort of. I'm afraid I have quite a bit of explaining to do."

"Go ahead, General." Peppy said.

"Thank you." He coughed lightly to clear his throat once again. "Well to begin, some time ago, back when my predecessor still held my position, Cornerian scientists discovered a new planet on the edge of our system. Their initial scans provided no indication of any advanced technology, or technology of any kind really, but they could tell that the planet was teeming with life. So, the CDF organized a scouting group, tasked with exploring and analyzing the world."

"This is the group that got attacked by the beasts?" Fox asked.

"No." He responded. "Well, not exactly. See, the first thing you need to understand is that the rumors you have no doubt heard about Sauria's natives are extremely exaggerated. Fabricated in fact."

"What do you mean?" Slippy asked.

"The planet Sauria is not covered in ravenous, flesh-eating beasts like the system has been led to believe. Rather, it's inhabited by a collection of intelligent tribes, each one living with a veritable form of civilization, more or less."

"So, there's intelligent life on Sauria?" Fox asked, a little confused.

"Yes. Although the planet is passing through a very primitive era, and lacks any notable technology, there is no doubt that a number of the natives have the capacity for rational thought."

"So, why it is closed off to the public, and why all the rumors about it being a savage planet?" Peppy asked.

"Well, that has to do with the scouting party that was sent to the planet I'm afraid. You see, even though the planet's natives are intelligent for the most part, that doesn't necessarily mean they're all peaceful. As far as we can tell, the scouts were attacked by one such violent tribe."

"However," he continued. "Even though they were in hostile territory, at least one of them managed to send out a distress signal, asking to be rescued. The message was received by a nearby warship, under the command of… well, that doesn't matter."

Peppy raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

The general seemed to ignore him. "So, once the warship received their distress signal, they set course for Sauria with the intent to rescue the scouting party. Unfortunately, they arrived too late and discovered that the entire team had been wiped out."

Fox nodded, gesturing to the general for him to continue.

"Well, this is where the report gets a tad… unsightly. You see, the commander of the warship was rash and wasn't a fan of following protocol, So, when he and his squadron discovered the party's fate, they decided upon the course of retaliation. Unfortunately, they didn't bother to differentiate the aggressors from the innocents. So…" He scratched the bottom of his chin, obviously uncomfortable.

"They attacked peaceful natives?" Fox guessed.

"Yes, I'm afraid. The battalion, under said commander, launched a minor campaign against the planet, which resulted in a short but bloody war against the planet's inhabitants." He sighed. "Luckily, once word finally reached CDF central command, they were able to send another battalion to put a stop to the aggressive commander. After facing a rather nasty court martial, he was dishonorably discharged, and measures were taken to make peace with the planet's natives."

"So, why the secrecy?" Slippy asked.

"Yes." Peppy agreed. "I can understand why this would be kept under the radar initially, but why does no one still know about this?"

"Well, the main reason for that is that we made an agreement with the natives that we wouldn't set foot on their planet again. They had obviously and rightfully become distrustful of us, so this was their central demand in the peace talks. We respectfully agreed, and since then, the CDF has taken measures to make sure the general public doesn't wander onto the planet and start another conflict. That is where the rumors about the 'monstrous beasts' inhabiting the planet came from, as well as the small naval blockade surrounding that area to deter travelers and adventure seekers."

Fox nodded, pretty sure he was following so far. "Alright, I think I get it. But what does this have to do with us?"

"Well, ever since our peace agreement, there have been no more incidents involving the world or its natives. However, recent patrols who are tasked with monitoring the planet have picked up some unusual readings. As far as we can guess, Sauria has come into contact with some unusually advanced technology."

Fox shrugged. "Maybe the Saurians have been busy since you left them alone."

Pepper shook his head. "Inconceivable. From my understanding, we're talking about a planet who hadn't yet discovered electricity just a few cycles ago. But our most recent scans have shown evidence of fusion reactors, teleportation systems, laser-based weaponry, and even the possible capacity for space travel. No civilization could ever have evolved so quickly…"

"Without help." Slippy finished.

"Indeed." The general affirmed. "And that is the mission we are offering Mr. McCloud: Go to the planet of Sauria, scout out its population, and figure out how it is they came into contact with their new toys, while also determining if they could potentially be a threat to the rest of the system. And if needs be, eliminate that threat."

"Threat?" Fox repeated. "I don't see how they could be a threat, even with their new technology."

The general smiled sadly. "New technology can go a long way. Venom wasn't a threat to our system, before Andross came along."

Fox nodded. "Alright. Fair enough. But why do you need me to do it?"

"Well, as we've already discovered, the planet's inhabitants do possess the capacity for violence. Sending a larger scouting party would break the pact we made with them, and likely provoke them against us. No, it would be best to send a single individual, who not only is disconnected from the CDF, but is also more than equipped to handle himself in the field."

"Alone?" Fox questioned. "No backup?"

"Well, if Peppy and Mr. Toad would like to accompany you..."

"No!" Slippy said quickly. "That's okay, we can stay on the ship."

Fox turned to the toad and raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Fox." Slippy shrugged. "You know I'm no good at field work."

Peppy chuckled. "And I'm a bit too old to hack my way through a jungle. I doubt I'd be any help to you down there."

"Well then." Pepper said. "I suppose there really is no other option. Unless… I assume that Mr. Lombardi is still on his leave?"

Fox felt his heart sink. "Yeah... yeah we still don't know where Falco is."

Pepper nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. In that case, I believe that you should prepare to handle this mission yourself."

"Understood."

"Very good." He coughed lightly. "Well then, in any case, I believe that's all you need to know at the moment. Contact me once you've made orbit around Sauria, and I'll give you one final briefing."

"Yes sir." He responded with a salute.

Pepper smiled. "It really is good to see you again, Fox. It's been far too long."

"You too, sir."

"Well then. If that's all, I think I'll take my leave. Pepper out." And with that, the projection disappeared, leaving the three members of Star Fox alone on the bridge.

Fox wasted no time. "Slippy." He said. "Go down and prep an Arwing. I want it ready by the time we arrive."

"Already done, Fox." The toad said, jumping up and running down to the hanger.

"Peppy." Fox said, turning to the rabbit. "Set course for Sauria. I want to get there as soon as possible."

"You got it, Fox." He responded, spinning around in his chair to face the control console.

"And Peppy?"

The rabbit cast his eyes back to his young friend. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

Peppy smiled. "Anytime, Fox."

The vulpine smiled back, before turning around and walking out of the bridge towards his quarters. He needed to prepare himself for his upcoming mission.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Casper, take it away._

 _Casper: "Exposition, Exposition. Hash it out, ASAP!"_

 _Yeah, I know that considering how long I made you all wait, this chapter probably isn't all that exciting. But I guess it is kinda necessary. Hopefully it isn't all that bad, and you ended up enjoying it._

 _Anyway, that's all I really have to say. Thank you all for viewing and reviewing, and I'll see you later._

 _Yours Truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman._


	7. Chapter 6

"We're coming up on the planet now."

"Decreasing velocity. G-diffusers powering down now."

"Watch the stabilizers. Make sure they don't malfunction this time."

"Everything looks good, Fox."

"Alright. Let's pull into orbit around the planet."

"Already on it. We'll be in orbit in just two shakes."

"Approximately twenty four minutes and eleven seconds until planetary orbit."

"Thank you, ROB."

Just a short time after General Pepper's briefing, the Star Fox team had traveled across the vast distance of the Lylat System to Sauria. As they carried through with their basic procedures in preparation for planetary orbit, each of them couldn't help but stare at this new, beautiful world.

"Wow." Slippy said as he looked down at the planet through the viewfinder. "It's kinda pretty, isn't it?"

"It is." Peppy agreed. "Looks a lot like Corneria before the war."

"It's got more green than Corneria had." Fox said.

Indeed, the planet of Sauria was a beautiful sight. Except for the splashes of blue ocean stretching around the surface, a few patches of light tan and brown signifying some dry deserts, and the icy white that covered the two poles of the planet, the rest of the planet's land was blanketed in pure and beautiful shades of green, marking the vast jungles and warm forests that blanketed the land. There was no doubt that nature was the dominant force controlling this world, and it was expressing its dominance through a show of insurmountable beauty. The more Fox stared at it, the more he couldn't wait to go down and see this new world with his own eyes.

Even still, he kept his mind on the task at hand, and focused on making sure that he and his team didn't land on the surface prematurely; in a ball of fire.

"Alright, let's keep our eyes on those readings. We can look once we're safely in orbit."

Peppy nodded, and with a "roger," he spun in his chair to face his own terminal.

Slippy however, didn't seem to hear Fox, as his eyes were glued to the planet with an odd look on his face.

"Hey guys," He asked, raising his finger to point at a particular spot. "Does that moon look a bit weird to you?"

Both Fox and Peppy followed Slippy's finger until they saw what he was referring to. Orbiting around the planet on the far side was a huge, moon-sized rock, craggy and asymmetrical unlike a more basic spherical moon.

"Looks like some kind of asteroid." Fox said. "Doesn't seem natural. Slippy, it's not on a collision course, is it?"

Slippy made some quick preliminary scans of the strange body. "No, doesn't look like it. In fact, I think it's caught in a more or less perfect orbit around Sauria. And, hmm…" He increased the scanner's range. "I'm getting life signs from it too! Looks like something is living on it. A lot of something."

Fox crossed his arms. "This doesn't seem right. Sauria didn't have a populated moon, did it?"

"I don't think it did." Peppy responded. "I don't even think it had a moon to begin with." He crossed his hands over his belly. "It could just be an asteroid that fell into orbit. It's not uncommon."

"But one that big?" Slippy asked. "That's really unlikely, especially since it's got life on it."

"Scans complete." ROB cut in suddenly. "The foreign object orbiting the planet Sauria has been identified as the planet Sauria."

"What?" Fox sighed and rolled his eyes. "Slips, I told you not to tinker with ROB when he didn't need it; you probably messed up some…"

"He's right, Fox." Slippy interrupted, a grim look settling on his face. "At least, kinda."

"What are you talking about?"

Peppy stood up and walked over to Slippy's side, looking over his shoulder to the monitor displaying the scans. "That can't be right…" He muttered.

"What is it?" Fox asked, walking up and peering over Slippy's shoulder opposite of Peppy.

"That mass…" Slippy started. "Well, if this is right, is a piece of Sauria."

"What do you mean? A piece of Sauria just broke off?"

"I… I don't know. I think so. But this doesn't make sense… it's too close..."

"What is it?"

"It's… uh…"

"Approximately twenty minutes until we achieve planetary orbit." ROB said suddenly.

"Fox." Peppy said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's leave Slippy to figure this out while we pull into orbit. Then we can contact the general and tell him what we found."

The vulpine gave him a quick nod. "Alright, you heard him, Slips. Figure out what happened here. You two," he said, gesturing to ROB and Peppy. "Get back to your stations."

"Roger."

"Affirmative."

The three went back to each of their stations, leaving Slippy behind to examine and figure out this strange new development. As Fox sat down in the command chair with a sigh, he found that he couldn't take his eyes off of the massive and threatening mass floating eerily above the beautiful planet. Now that he knew what to look for, he noticed that a large, brown, ugly scar was growing on the planet's horizon as they slowly moved into its view. That scar alone more or less confirmed that the body was in fact a piece of the planet, in his mind at least.

"What happened here?" He muttered.

* * *

It didn't take long for the ship to fall into an orbit around the planet, and the moment it did, its crew followed through with their plan to contact General Pepper. Within minutes, an image of the old dog was standing on the bridge along with Fox and his crew.

"Hello, Fox." He greeted, before clearing his throat. "I trust you had an uneventful trip?"

"Well, yes. More or less. Um, General…"

"Now then, on to business: I trust you know that you're going to have to equip yourself with basic survival gear for your mission. It's not clear where you're going to be traveling down there, so I would prepare for the possibility of extreme cold or hot conditions. Of course, you should take your blaster for self-defense…"

"General!" Fox said loudly, interrupting the old dog. "There's something else you should know."

"Yes? Please explain. Have you found something?"

The vulpine nodded. "Yeah, we have. Sending him the images, Slippy."

The toad nodded, before uploading images taken of the planet to Pepper's base on Corneria. It took a moment until he received them, but as soon as he did, his grizzled face fell into a look of concerned wonder.

"Oh my…" He muttered as he observed the images that were out of sight of the crew of the Great Fox. "That's… this is Sauria?"

Slippy nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"You didn't know about this, general?" Peppy asked.

"No, no I didn't. An away team observed the planet just a few cycles ago, so this must have happened very recently. Do you..." He cleared his throat again. "Do you have any idea what happened?"

Fox shook his head. "No. We don't even have a theory."

"Well!" Slippy spoke up quickly. "I have a few theories, they're just… you know. Not good."

Fox nodded. "We've scanned for any strange geological activity or some kind of collision, but we can't find anything. It's just popped out like a cork in a bottle."

"Hmm." The general murmured. "What about the rest of the planet?"

"Well," Slippy said. "This is where it get's weird. As far as we can tell, the rest of the planet hasn't been affected all that much. I mean, a huge change in mass like that should have the planet spinning out of control, drifting into the Sun and exploding into a giant ball of gas, but…"

"But that hasn't happened." Fox finished. "As far as we can tell, the planet's orbit hasn't been affected at all."

"What about the natives?"

"They're alright. For now at least." Peppy said. "Somehow, the atmosphere down below is sort of bubbling up around where the piece of the planet is, giving them enough air to breathe. But, well… how did you explain it Slippy?"

"See uh…" Slippy began, before sighing. "You know I'm an engineer, not a scientist, right?

"That bubbling," Fox explained. "Is also causing a lot of oxygen to escape out into space. The natives there are trapped above the planet, and they're losing air steadily."

"So we're running out of time." Pepper finished with a frown. "Very well. In that case, I believe your mission is no longer necessary, Fox. You may begin your return journey, and we can discuss your payment as soon as you get back."

"Wait, what?" Fox said, crossing his arms. "We're leaving? Just like that?"

Pepper nodded. "If what you've told me is true, then the natives of Sauria don't have much time left. You've established that the planet is in danger, so I believe it's time for the Cornerian military to intervene. We will begin evacuation of the orbiting planetoid as soon as we are able, as well as the rest of the planet if conditions worsen."

"General, I don't think…"

"With all due respect, general." Peppy intervened. "I think that'd be a bit too hasty. We don't know for sure what's happening here, but I think we can all agree it isn't natural."

"Yeah." Slippy agreed. "Everything about it is just too weird and unlikely. If I were to make an educated guess, I'd say that this was caused somehow by the technology that the Saurians have come into contact with."

"Which means that it _might_ be reversible." Peppy finished.

"Please, general." Fox said. "Give us a chance to figure out what's going on before we evacuate the whole world. There still might be a chance to save Sauria."

Pepper frowned and grumbled in thought for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head. "Very well, I'll give you a chance. But I will still be organizing an evacuation operation and putting them on standby, assuming you don't discover the cause in time."

"That's fair enough." Peppy said.

"Alright," Fox said, crossing his arms. "What's my first move?"

"Hmm, yes well… give me a moment."

The team watched as General Pepper leaned out of their sight, and heard him grumbling and mumbling to himself.

"Ah yes." He said at last, leaning back into view. "It says here that the two most dominant tribes on the planet are known as the _Ow…_ ahem, the _Ouh-kcks_ … um…" He mumbled to himself while scratching his nose, before shaking his head. "Well, whatever it is, it says that they translate roughly into "Earthwalker" and "Cloudrunner," so I would begin by attempting to contact one of them. Logically, their leaders would know what's going on across the planet better than anyone else."

"Are they friendly?"

"Yes. Well, sort of. We made a tentative peace with both tribes, but I doubt any of them have forgotten the incident. They may not be too excited to see another outsider on their world, but if you explain the situation and keep your nose clean, you should be alright."

"But General," Peppy spoke up. "I've been wondering. How do you expect us to communicate with them? I doubt either of us speak the same language."

"Ah yes, I meant to discuss that with you." The general cleared his throat before continuing. "We were able to learn a… fair amount of the Saurians' native language: Enough that we were able to design a two-way translator should we ever need to communicate with the people. Unfortunately, we haven't yet made a functioning prototype."

"You got blueprints for it?" Slippy asked suddenly.

Pepper smiled and chuckled. "Indeed we do, Mr. Toad. I'm glad we seem to be on the same page." He cleared his throat. "I can have my engineers send you the blueprints for the translator, and Mr. Toad can build the device for your use."

"But that'll take a while." Fox said, folding his arms. "What do I do until then?"

"You'll have to make due I'm afraid. I'd say the best thing you can do is contact Peppy and use him and the language logs we send as a temporary translator whenever you need to, while Mr. Toad works on the device."

"That should be fun." Peppy said with a grin. "I haven't learned a new language for almost twenty years."

"Well it's a good thing you're a fast learner." Pepper said with a chuckle.

"Alright, what's my first move?" Fox asked.

"Well, as I said, it's most likely that the leaders of either the Earthwalkers or the Cloudrunners will know what's happening on the planet better than anyone else. Given the Cloudrunners' solitary lifestyle, I would search out the Earthwalkers' leaders first. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing where they are at the moment."

"How do I find them?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to figure that out on your own. There's so much we don't know about this world that I doubt the military will be able to do anything more than point you in the right direction."

"Alright." Fox said bluntly. "Point me."

"Of course. Well, the grounds on which the native tribes and the CDF held their peace talks are known as… _kixs_ … oh good heavens, _kakso…"_ He shook his head and scoffed. "Well, whatever it's called, it was referred to as a neutral and peaceful land, so I would recommend that as your first destination. You can then investigate and scout the surrounding area for any signs of where you could find the Earthwalkers, as well as signs of how the planet has been affected by the new technology and this catastrophe."

"Got it."

"Good. Now Fox, one more thing." These words came with a gravely serious tone and a stern face. "This mission is about saving Sauria from destruction. But if you are to come to the conclusion that the planet is beyond saving, or if you are to run out of time before you are able to, then you are to leave the planet immediately and return to Corneria."

"But General…" Fox was about to protest, but Pepper stopped him.

"Fox, I'm sorry to say this, but the life of the Hero of the Lylat System is not worth that of a backwater planet that we barely have any connections to. Your life must come before that of Sauria's."

"That's a little callous." Slippy muttered.

"I'm sorry Mr. Toad, but that's how it must be."

"No," Fox said resolutely, crossing his arms with a determined gleam in his eyes. "You don't have to worry, General. I will figure out what's happening, and I will stop it."

Pepper smiled. "I don't doubt you will. Good luck, Fox."

With that, the old dog gave the Star Fox team a respectful salute, before vanishing as their connection was severed.

"Alright." Fox said, turning to Slippy and Peppy. "Any questions?"

"Yeah." Slippy responded. "Can we get lunch first? I'm starved."

* * *

Soon after, Fox was in his quarters, gathering, preparing, and packing supplies and basic amenities he would need down on the planet's surface. He knew that Slippy had already loaded his Arwing with food and basic rations, so he instead focused on gear that would help him to survive down on Sauria's generally humid and hot climate. After placing a globe-light, a simple device that would provide both heat and light at night, into his basic duffel bag, he took a deep breath before walking to the stand where his blaster and holster sat.

After grabbing the holster and buckling it to his waist, he picked up the trusty weapon and, giving it a quick but elaborate spin, slipped it into its home.

"Ready for action." He said with a grin.

He couldn't deny he was excited. Not only at the sheer adventure that came with exploring a world he had never before set foot on, but something else, some powerful feeling in the back of his mind, was causing a sweet flow of adrenaline to pump throughout his body. He couldn't quite place his finger on what it was, yet it filled him with an energy he hadn't felt in a while.

His musing was interrupted by a knock on his quarters' door.

"Fox?" Peppy's voice sounded through the door. "You decent?"

Fox rolled his eyes. "Come in, Peppy."

The old rabbit obliged, opening the metal door with a flick of a switch and stepping inside Fox's room.

"Are you packed?" He asked with a smile, glancing at the pack on the bed.

"Yep."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Peppy, I'm sure."

"So you've got your Pathfinder?"

"Ye… uh…" Fox quickly spun around and began rummaging through the pack, before he heard Peppy chuckle behind him.

"You never change." He said, holding the Pathfinder up in his hands.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks." Fox said, quickly grabbing the map-maker and stuffing it into the bag. "Did Slippy get those blueprints yet?" He asked, not lifting his head from his bag.

"Yes, he received the files just a little bit ago." The old rabbit remained silent for a moment, watching his friend rummage and mentally check items off of a list, before sighing. "Fox, I need to speak with you."

"Yeah?" The vulpine asked, standing up and turning to face the rabbit.

"Well, see…" Peppy sighed, crossing his arms and frowning while casting his eyes to the ground.

"Peppy?" Fox asked. "What is it?"

The old rabbit sighed before finally speaking. "Fox, I'm going to ask you to follow General Pepper's advice."

"What advice? What do you mean?"

"I mean… if you're down there, and something happens to the planet that we aren't expecting, or if you run out of time and…"

"Peppy," Fox said firmly, crossing his arms. "You know I can't do that. I can't just doom a whole planet when there's something I could do about it."

"Fox, you don't have an obligation to this planet. I understand we should do something to try to save it, but Pepper is right. Sauria isn't worth the life of Fox McCloud."

Fox sighed and rubbed his eyes with two fingers. "Peppy, you can't honestly believe that. We're talking about millions of innocent creatures in danger here. If I can't do this, they all die. I can't abandon them."

"Fox…"

They were suddenly interrupted by a furious knocking on the door.

"Fox!" Slippy's voice reverberated through the cold metal. "Fox! You… you really… you really need…"

The poor amphibian sounded panicked, a frantic _ribbit_ sounding up from his throat every other word.

"Slippy?" Fox called with concern in his voice. Both he and Peppy dashed to the door and threw it open, revealing the face of a toad that was just as panicked as he sounded.

"Fox! Peppy!" He yelled, even though he was right in front of them. "You really… th-the… the bridge… Rocks! Lots of rocks! I mean, the-the…"

"Calm down, son." Peppy said, trying to stop Slippy from jumping out of his skin. "What's happened?"

"Th-the planet! It's… come see!"

The toad dashed away back to the bridge, followed closely by the vulpine and the old rabbit.

* * *

Just moments later, all three of the Star Fox team were bursting onto the bridge. Before either Fox or Peppy could open their mouths, Slippy was by the main viewfinder, jumping and furiously pointing.

"Look! Look!" He yelled. "It's happening again!"

The vulpine and the rabbit were by his side in an instant, and as their eyes fell down upon the planet below, their hearts sank as they saw what had Slippy so agitated.

The entire planet of Sauria was rumbling, they could see that even from their orbit high above it's atmosphere. And as their eyes traced its shaking horizon, they caught glimpse of the source of the vibrations: A massive chunk of the surface was slowly, slowly tearing away from the planet's crust. As dust, rocks, and debris were being thrown and cast aside by the great mass, it slowly but surely began rising away from the rest of the planet, leaving a trail of dust to cover its path. Flashes of light suddenly exploded into being, and the Star Fox team saw great, yellow flashes of energy, like bolts of lightning arcing up from the underside of the escaping piece to the planet below. The flashes of electricity eventually began to die down, and as they did, the great, broken piece of Sauria floated to an almost gentle stop, joining its massive brother eerily in the skies of the planet.

The Star Fox team was silent. The sheer scale of witnessing this disaster had completely stunned the war-hardened team, and they found that none of them could take their eyes off of Sauria's new and sinister moon, or the scar that it had left down below on the surface.

After what seemed like an eternity of ghostly silence, Fox was the first to speak. "Slippy, is my Arwing ready?"

"Y… yeah. It… it is." The toad stuttered.

"Good." Before either of them could react, Fox had suddenly spun around and began marching away, a fierce fire burning in his eyes. "I'm going down."

"Fox!" Peppy said quickly, stopping him before he could leave the bridge.

The vulpine stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around to face the rabbit.

"Go save that planet."

Fox smiled, turning his head and giving Peppy a grateful nod, before continuing his march down to the hanger, readier than ever to begin his mission.

* * *

 **Author's note:** _Yeah, I can list a plethora of excuses, some of them even reasonable. But honestly, I'm just going to say I'm really sorry for how long this chapter took to come out. I shouldn't have made you all wait this long, and I apologize._

 _But, here it is, some what? Eight months in the making? Hopefully it was worth the wait. Yeah, it probably wasn't, but ah well, at least I'm back. I'm going to be trying to hash out a schedule for my stories that means I'll be able to get out a chapter for each faster than one a year. We'll see if I can do it._

 _I really don't have that much to say about this chapter. More exposition, I know, but hopefully it's still interesting. I did enjoy writing it._

 _Anyway, that's all for now. Thank you all for viewing and reviewing, and I'll see you later._

 _Yours Truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman._


	8. Chapter 7

Down below on the surface of the planet, long before Fox had even made his departure, another outworlder was stirring from a deep slumber. Surrounded by the soft sound of trickling water and the sweet smell of grass and flowers, a lone, blue vixen quietly opened her sapphire eyes with blurred vision and confused thoughts.

Despite an almost unnoticeable sense of unease at the back of her already jumbled mind, the tranquil sounds and sensations of pure, untarnished nature filled her chest with a strange peace that she hadn't felt in a long time and forced her to forget all her troubles. With a long, contented sigh, she slowly closed her eyes once more with a small smile threatening to tug at her lips.

Unfortunately, Krystal's mind soon caught up with her body, and she found her eyes opening again. Recent memories suddenly returned to her, causing a rush of panic to surge throughout her.

"K-Kyte?" She called, pushing herself up off of the ground.

However, as the vixen tried to sit up and quickly climb to her feet, she felt a rush of lightheadedness that forced her to sit back down.

"Ugh…" She groaned, clutching her temples as a throbbing headache assaulted her mind.

Eventually, as the blood flowed back into her brain and her vision returned to normal, she slowly climbed back to her feet. "Kyte?" She called again.

As her head shot back and forth to observe her surroundings, she saw that she was definitely no longer in Krazoa palace, but rather in a peaceful field of green grass, a few scattered trees, and a shallow stream of slowly running water. Despite the beauty of it all, she found that the panic filling her chest was increasing with the confusion of how she got there. Her eyes desperately darted around the unfamiliar landscape, searching for her young ward.

"Kyte!" She called again. "Where are you?"

"Krystal?"

The vixen spun around at the sound of the small voice, and she saw with a burst of relief that the young CloudRunner was standing just little ways away, peeking her head out from behind a small bush.

"Oh, Krystal!" She exclaimed with the same relief that Krystal was feeling. "You're awake!"

The small princess jumped out and ran to the vixen, a large smile gracing her beak. With a quick flap, she suddenly leapt up and wrapped her wings around Krystal's midsection in an excited embrace.

"Oh!" Krystal said with a quiet laugh as she grabbed hold of the young girl to prevent her from falling. "It's nice to see you too, Kyte."

"I was really worried." Kyte said as she dropped back to the soft grass. "I couldn't wake you up."

"Where are we?" Krystal asked with a frown, glancing around at the unfamiliar surroundings. "How did we get here?"

"I don't know." Kyte responded, shrugging. "I don't think I've ever been here before."

"What were you doing over there?"

"I… well I got a bit hungry when I was waiting, so I decided to look for something we could eat. I didn't go far!" She said quickly as Krystal raised an eyebrow. "I was just exploring a bit."

Krystal sighed and shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "Well, if you're still hungry, then perhaps we should find you something to eat. Come on."

"Okay, great!" She said happily before jumping up and perching on the vixen's shoulder. "I think we should follow the river. That's usually where most plants grow, so maybe we can find some food there."

"And perhaps someone who can tell us where we are." Krystal added with a nod. "Good thinking, Kyte."

Smiling at the pride that flashed across the young girl's face, Krystal began following the path of the gentle stream with the young princess perched on her shoulder.

Krystal was glad that the young girl seemed to be so unfazed at their predicament. Though she herself was managing to keep an air of confidence, Krystal had a deep sense of of unease weighing down on her heart. Not only did she have no idea where they were or how they got there, but she had also realized that the Krazoa spirit that she had once been carrying through the palace was no longer with her. She had no idea what could have happened to the being, but the fear that it was lost or had somehow been stolen worried her greatly.

 _Those spirits are the only way to save Kyte's planet,_ she thought. _We need to find them soon. What happened to me…_

"Krystal?" Kyte asked suddenly, interrupting her train of thought. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Of course I am."

Kyte frowned as she looked at the vixen. "Krystal, you know I can tell what you're feeling."

"What… oh, right." She said as she remembered their last conversation in the palace. "Of course you can."

"What's wrong?"

Krystal sighed, and her gaze fell down to observe the gentle stream at the duo's side. She didn't want to worry the young girl, so she tried to downplay her feelings a tad. "I'll admit I'm just a bit nervous. So much has happened since I first got here, and I've been given so much responsibility; it's a bit overwhelming."

Kyte smiled. "C'mon Krystal, don't you remember? This is an adventure! It's supposed…"

"To be fun." Krystal finished with a chuckle. "I know."

"Exactly. Besides, I bet I can teach you everything you need to know about Dinosaur Planet."

"Of course." The vixen said with a smile and a wink. "After all, I would be lost without my faithful guide."

The young girl giggled softly, but her smile fell as Krystal's eyes turned back to their path, a thoughtful shine in her eyes.

"Krystal?"

"Who attacked us?"

"Huh?"

"Who was it in the palace, that attacked us after the spirit's test?"

"Oh, I don't know. I didn't see him." She shuddered slightly. "He had a creepy voice though."

"You heard him speak?"

The young CloudRunner nodded. "Yeah. He said 'You're not supposed to be here.' Or something like that."

Krystal crossed her arms in quiet contemplation. "Strange." She muttered.

"Don't worry!" Kyte said enthusiastically. "Whoever it was, if we ever meet the creep again, I'm sure we can take him."

The girl's words made Krystal smile, but she still carried an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Perhaps." She said quietly.

* * *

Meanwhile, high in the sky above the unwitting duo, a sleek space fighter was sailing through the atmosphere like a diving falcon, drawing ever closer to the surface of the planet below. Though the small ship had certainly seen better days, being battered and in obvious need of a few basic repairs, it was still a powerful and agile machine, likely the most advanced that Sauria had seen for a very long time. Even if it was veering slightly to the left.

"Oh for crying out loud…" Fox muttered as he pulled his Arwing's controls to the right to compensate. "Slippy told me he fixed this. Little…"

He grumbled silently for a moment before glancing down to see that he was nearing the coordinates that General Pepper had given him. Pulling down on the controls, he angled the Arwing towards the surface preparing to touch down onto solid ground.

As habits that had been made solid from years of experience took hold, the vulpine allowed himself a moment of distraction to look down at the green land below. The planet of Sauria was beautiful from orbit, but now that Fox was down near the surface, he realized just how pristine it all really was. It looked as though no sentient life had ever set foot upon its soft soil, allowing armies of exotic plant life and fungi to assert their dominance across the whole surface. It was magnificent.

"Peppy to Fox. Come in, son."

The sudden voice cutting through Fox's daze caused the vulpine to jump slightly, but he quickly recovered to answer the communication.

"Uh, yeah. I read you Peppy."

"You're a bit off course, Fox. Are you alright?"

Peppy's words made Fox realize with a jolt that he had, in his daze, allowed the Arwing to stray far from his intended destination.

"Oh blast it. What are you doing McCloud?" He chided himself, before answering the old rabbit. "Sorry, Peppy. I got distracted."

"What a surprise." He said dryly. "Honestly, it's probably for the best anyway, since I don't think you want to land in a populated area. Touch down nearby somewhere hidden, and you can travel to Pepper's coordinates on foot."

"Copy that. I think I see a good spot. I'm moving to land there."

"Roger. Contact us as soon as you arrive."

"Right. Fox out."

Cutting the transmission with a click, the skilled pilot steadily angled the Arwing's nose towards the ground, aiming for a small clearing in the trees that would have enough space to house the fighter as well as set up a small camp, but secluded enough that it would be unlikely a native would stumble across it. Easing back on the throttle and slowly powering down the G-diffusers, Fox activated the landing thrusters on the underside of the ship to begin a slow and steady descent.

Within moments, the Arwing was safely planted on Saurian soil, and Fox was powering down each of its systems before unbuckling his restraint and opening the cockpit. Lifting himself up and over the edge, he dropped to the ground with a grunt.

As he took a moment to stretch and take in his surroundings, the first thing he noticed was that it was very hot. Despite being in the shade of a few small trees, the air was carrying with it a humid heat that many would find uncomfortable. Fox however, found it very pleasant. After being cooped up on the Great Fox and its artificially cooled interior for so long, it was nice to feel a natural warmth again.

He didn't take too long to rest and enjoy it however, because within moments he was opening the small cargo hatch at the base of the Arwing's nose to retrieve his supplies. He knew he would have to travel light, so he only took out basic necessities such as packets of rations, a simple sleeping mat, and his Pathfinder, which was programmed with all known data of Sauria's terrain. (Which admittedly wasn't a great deal.)

After tossing each of these into a compact backpack, he double-checked the charge level on his blaster before beginning his trek west towards Pepper's coordinates.

 _Alright,_ he thought, running over his plan in his mind. _I just need to get to this place Pepper talked about, scout out for any of this foreign technology, and figure out how to find the EarthWalkers. Should be simple enough, I just hope I can find someone who can help._

* * *

"Oh, oh! Krystal, come here!"

The vixen's head shot up as her young ward's voice suddenly sounded from the top of the hill. "What is it?" She called.

The duo had been traveling for only a short while before they had come to a short hill with a path running up it's side. Kyte had flown up first to see across to the other side, and she was currently jumping up and down on a boulder at the top, gesturing to Krystal to climb up.

"Just come!"

Krystal nodded and doubled her pace, following the simple path and climbing the small boulder until she was at the CloudRunner's side.

"What did you see?" She asked.

"Look!" Kyte exclaimed pointing. "I know where we are!"

Krystal's eyes followed the young CloudRunner's digit to see that, far below them on the other side of the hill, surrounded by steep hills and small cliffs of craggy rock, lay a beautiful green valley, full of tall trees, exotic plants, and a small lake fed by the same river that the two had been following. But what stood out to Krystal was the huge, stone structure, with walls as tall as a keep, nestled into the side of one of the cliffs. Despite looking as though it had been standing for many years, it still had signs of life all around, as there were wooden huts and other such structures scattered within and without the stone walls.

"What is this place?" Krystal asked.

"This is ThornTail Hollow." Kyte explained. "It's where the ThornTail tribe live. Mother took me here once when she needed to speak to the elder."

"Well," Krystal said, crossing her arms. "It's certainly good that we know where we are now. Do you think the ThornTail elder could tell us where to find the other Krazoa spirits?"

"Oh, um…" The young girl's face fell into a sad look. "No. He's… I overheard my Mother talking to one of her guards a while ago. I guess the SharpClaw killed him because he wouldn't allow his tribe to follow them."

"Oh." Krystal frowned. "Who leads them now?"

"No one. Once the elder died, I guess General Scales sent a bunch of SharpClaw to stop them from getting a new leader, and to keep the tribe under control. I hear that it's been really hard for the ThornTails living here."

"Do they try to fight back?"

"No. The ThornTail tribe is super peaceful; I don't think they've gone to war for a really, really long time."

"I suppose that's rather admirable."

Kyte shook her head. "Mother doesn't think so. She calls them cowards, since they don't help the rest of us fight the SharpClaw."

"What do you think?"

"I…" She thought for a moment before responding. "I don't know… I think it's great that they hold to their beliefs. But the SharpClaw still treat them like animals and take a lot of their food. I think a lot of them have died..."

Krystal sighed sadly as she looked down at her young ward. _There's so much death and sadness in this poor girl's world,_ she thought.

"Well," She said, trying her best to force a cheerful face. "Perhaps there's still someone here who can help us. And we still need to find something to eat. Come on."

She bent down, stretching her arm out to help the child jump up onto her shoulder, before beginning the trek down the small hill into the valley.

* * *

"Fox to Peppy. Do you read me?"

"You betcha. Have you arrived at the destination?"

Fox nodded, looking out past the grove of trees he was hiding in to observe the landscape before him. "I think so. I'm looking at a large valley with wooden buildings scattered all over. There's a stone structure built into a cliffside, and a river running through the middle."

"Yep, that matches the description alright. You're definitely in ThornTail Hollow."

"Alright. I'm beginning my search. If I meet anything intelligent I'll contact you for translation."

"Hold on." Peppy said. "Are you not seeing anyone in the valley? It says here that that hollow should have a high concentration of ThornTail; they should be everywhere."

Fox made another quick observation of the valley to see a number of large, reptilian creatures with long tails and tall, arched backs wandering about, but he couldn't see any other life. "I don't think so. There's a lot of animals around, but…"

"Nxuk uh ooei teadw xor?"

Fox jumped in surprise and spun around to see one of the large creatures glaring into his face. Before he could react, the creature opened its mouth and a strange language came forth from its lips.

"No xul odeiwx fhercomj nakxeik eiknehctohj hiddadw uheidt. Ooei doot ke coul den."

As realization dawned on Fox, he slowly put a finger to his ear to reopen the com channel. "Uh, Peppy? Scratch that. I think I found the natives. I… I guess I'm talking to one now."

"You've found one? Excellent. Put it on speaker so I can help translate."

"Right." He followed through, opening the channel so that Peppy could hear whatever he did. "Alright what do I say?"

"Give me a moment…"

"Nxuk uho ooei kucbadw ke?" The creature said.

"There. What did he just say? It sounded like a question."

"I know, I know." Fox could hear the old rabbit muttering to himself quietly.

"Peppy, anything?"

"Be patient Fox. I'm working."

Fox cleared his throat, trying to maintain a cool composure in front of the creature, who seemed to be becoming more and more confused.

"So, can I assume that you're a ThornTail?" He asked as casually as he could, despite knowing the creature couldn't understand him.

"Ooeih u lohoo idijiuc ed." The creature said, giving the vulpine a strange look.

"Right. I guess I can take that as a yes. Um, sorry about all this… I, uh…" He coughed, and after a few seconds of awkward silence, quickly decided to try some form of visual communication. He raised his arms, waving his hands around and trying to mimic actions of shaking hands and respectful bowing to try to convince the ThornTail of his friendly intentions.

The ThornTail didn't seem to be amused however, and it shook its head in what appeared to be disbelief. "Ooeil cejk ooeih madt." It said.

Fox became visibly agitated, as he could tell the creature was becoming more and more impatient with him. "Peppy, hurry up please."

"Give me a moment! Good heavens, this reference was written by a baboon."

He continued muttering to himself for a few moments before finally speaking up. "Okay, first you need to say…"

"He's gone." Fox interrupted.

"What?"

Sure enough, the creature had turned around and begun walking away, but not before giving the vulpine one last, very strange look.

"What happened? Why did he go?"

A very frustrated and slightly embarrassed Fox answered. "Oh I don't know. Maybe because he was talking to a stranger who was babbling to no one in an alien language?"

"Don't get snippy with me." Peppy chided. "If you had been patient I could have worked a lot faster."

"Whatever. Sorry." Fox huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Is Slippy almost done with the translator?"

"Fox, he's only barely gathered the parts together. It's going to take awhile to assemble it."

"Okay, fine. Then could you at least teach me some kind of universal greeting or something?"

"Right. That should be simple enough. Give me a few minutes. Peppy out."

Fox sighed quietly as the old rabbit cut off the connection. He crossed his arms and, still feeling slightly embarrassed, tried to make himself smaller and less noticeable as he waited. It didn't work however, as he saw that more and more ThornTails around the valley were gradually noticing him and collectively staring at him, muttering among each other as they did. Remembering what Pepper had said about the last Cornerians that had come to Sauria, Fox didn't find it all surprising that his presence was causing some commotion. Even if it was still uncomfortable for him.

Letting out a sigh, he tried to avoid making eye contact with the sentient beasts, instead turning around and casting his eyes around the rest of the valley. It was then that he caught sight of something that he hadn't noticed in the green landscape surrounding him; a long, thin object sticking out of the earth at an angle a short distance away. Eager to escape the growing glares of the surrounding beasts, as well as curious as to what the object was, he began a slow walk towards it to find out what it could be.

* * *

"What's happening?"

Kyte and Krystal had long since climbed down the large hill to the base of the valley, and had been walking for a short while towards the collection of large, wooden huts. Currently, the two were each looking out from behind one of the tall trees lining the gentle river, focusing their gaze on what appeared to be a gathering of large creatures, scattered just a short ways away. Though the duo couldn't see what it was, something seemed to be agitating the beasts.

"I don't know." The young princess responded. "I think they're looking at something."

"Those are ThornTails?" Krystal guessed, noting how the large, reptilian creatures bore some resemblance to the EarthWalkers that they had encountered in Krazoa Palace.

"Yeah. They're the ones who live here." The young CloudRunner stretched up, futilely trying to look past the ThornTails' tall, arched backs. "I can't see anything."

"Perhaps someone is in trouble." Krystal said with a furrowed brow. "Come on, let's find out what's got them so excited."

Kyte nodded and began following the vixen as she walked towards the ThornTails. Very soon, they had come up behind one of the large creatures and Krystal spoke up.

"Greetings." She said politely.

The ThornTail grunted in mild surprise, turning around until he saw the blue vixen. "Oh." He said with a gruff voice that made him sound as though he was in his later years. "Another one. I should have guessed."

"Pardon? What do you mean?"

The ThornTail rolled his eyes and sighed, ignoring her question. "You outworlders are nothing but trouble. We've already got Scales and his SharpClaw starving us to death; you and your friend will give our tribe more problems than…"

"Hey!" Kyte intervened with a harsh tone. "Krystal hasn't caused any problems for you, and neither have I! We're trying to help!"

"Kyte, be polite." Krystal said softly.

The ThornTail smiled however, amused that the young CloudRunner, who was no larger than his foot, could address him so bravely. "Is that so, young one?" He sighed and shook his head. "Well, I suppose you can trust them if you want but I'd be cautious, little CloudRunner; you should know better than anyone what outworlders can do to us."

"What do you mean?" Krystal asked, but the ThornTail had already turned away, apparently bored of talking to the duo.

"What was he talking about?" Krystal asked Kyte quietly as they continued to try to slip past the scattered ThornTails.

"Um… nothing really." She said, before changing the subject a bit too quickly. "Do you see something yet?"

Ignoring the unease that she could sense coming from the child, Krystal raised her head and was about to answer negatively, before her eyes caught sight of something odd in the distance. Surrounded by a small grove of thin trees, the outline of a bipedal figure could be seen standing above a thin object sticking out of the ground. As she watched, the figure seemed to grab hold of the long object, and give it a firm tug.

"Who is that?" She muttered.

Before Kyte could respond, the vixen was off; making towards the figure with an unusual intensity.

"Krystal! Wait for me!" She called, flapping up to follow the vixen's long stride. By the time she caught up, Krystal was hiding behind a tall tree, watching the stranger just out of his sight.

"Who is he?" Kyte whispered. "Do you know him?"

Krystal shook her head. Indeed, the fact that another outworlder besides her was on Dinosaur Planet surprised her greatly. Though she couldn't place his exact species, she could tell he was obviously similar to a male of her own kind.

"He must be the one causing all the commotion around here."

Kyte, misunderstanding the statement, frowned. "He's probably working for the SharpClaw then."

Krystal was about to respond, when the stranger suddenly succeeded in his efforts to pull the long object out of the ground. As he raised it up in his hands to observe it, Krystal realized with a jolt that she recognized what it was.

"That's my staff!" She whispered in awe. "How did he find it?"

"It is?" Kyte's face took on a determined glare. "He must have stolen it! Come on, Krystal! Let's get it back!"

"What? Wait, Kyte! No!"

* * *

Fox couldn't ever really explain everything that happened then. One moment, he was admiring the long staff he had found stuck in the dirt, with its graceful design and the precious gems embedded into its exterior; and the next, he was reeling forward as something small but heavy crashed into the back of his head.

He cried out in surprise, and only just managed to catch himself from landing face-first on the ground. However, before he could regain his balance, he heard what sounded like the flap of wings behind him before he felt something that felt like two hands latch onto the fur on the back of his head, pulling furiously.

Fox cried out in pain and dropped the staff, starting to flail his arms to try to swat whatever was attacking him away. He managed to graze something small with a clenched fist, at which point it's grasp on his fur released. However, before he could get another solid hit in, he felt a rush of wind as the evidently winged creature drop down off of his head behind his back. Before he had time to react, he felt what seemed like an oversized pair of pliers clamp down on the middle of his tail.

Letting out a loud yell that he was surprised came from his lips, Fox did his best to twist around and knock the creature off of his tail. He stood there, struggling furiously for a moment or two, before finally managing to land a solid blow with the back of his hand. He heard the creature let out a shrill cry of pain as it let go of its hold on him and fell to the ground. Instantly, Fox's fighting reflexes finally kicked in, urging him to draw his blaster and spin around. As he raised the blaster and clicked off the safety with a swift flick of his thumb, he caught a quick glance of a small, winged, reptilian creature with a long, pointed head lying on the ground. However, he didn't get a chance to even put his finger on the trigger, before something else crashed into him from behind again, this one being much larger and heavier.

He managed to recover much faster this time, spinning around and readying himself to shoot this new adversary. However, as he pointed the weapon at this new figure, before he could even make out any details about it, a flash of light brown suddenly shot up and knocked the gun clean out of his hands and into the air. Before it could even hit the ground, Fox was already pouncing forward, his body's natural fighting senses overpowering all else. As he threw a punch forward, which was deftly sidestepped by the blue figure, he realized that his attacker was holding the staff that he was examining just a moment before. Raising an arm, he managed to block a strong, overhead swing from the staff, though it sent a jolt of pain up his sleeveless shoulder.

Gritting his teeth, the skilled vulpine twisted around, grabbing hold of the staff and attempting to use it as leverage to deliver a kick into the attacker's stomach. However, this was blocked as the attacker suddenly wrenched the staff away and spun backwards, flipping the weapon up to block Fox's attack. This was quickly followed through with a fierce kick into Fox's own stomach, sending him reeling over.

However, in the split second that Fox was down, he caught sight of his blaster lying just an arm's length away. Like a striking snake he shot forward, dodging a sweeping strike of the staff, and grasping the blaster in his hand. With a deft roll and a leap, he was on his feet and spinning around to aim the gun.

However, the moment the barrel was pointed towards the blue figure, he felt a firm pressure suddenly press onto his throat. The attacker had raised the staff and thrust the end of it onto his neck in a threatening manner. The two stood like this for what seemed like an eternity, each breathing heavily while pointing their respective weapons at the other's heads.

"Jkudt tend." The figure suddenly said in a feminine but commanding voice.

It was this that made Fox realize with a jolt that his attacker was a woman, and in the standoff that the two were apparently sharing, he took a quick moment to observe her, without dropping his guard.

She appeared to be some type of vixen, but he couldn't place the exact species. She bore mostly blue fur with white fluff on her face trailing down to her stomach. She wore what appeared to be a bare form of tribal coverings and sandals, with some assorted and simple jewelry, as well as some small pieces of armor covering her wrists and ankles. She also had two, identical, stark white tattoos wrapping around her upper arms, as well as two similar ones swirling around her thighs.

It was then that the thought struck Fox like a space freighter: _She's beautiful…_

Against both his instincts and his judgement, that thought caused his muscles to relax slightly as his eyes began wandering up and down her perfect figure and her flawless face, and he felt his jaw slacken ever so slightly as with every pass they confirmed the thought.

Surprisingly, the woman seemed to respond to this, as her stern face suddenly took on a surprised look, and she looked at Fox with a questioning eye.

"Cenoh ooeih noufed." She said with a voice much softer than she had been using a moment ago.

"Uh…" Before he could even wonder what she had said, he looked into her sapphire eyes, and a silent understanding seemed to pass between them. Almost in unison, the two lowered their weapons, with Fox slipping his blaster into his holster while the staff hung at her side, still grasped in her hand.

"S-so, uh…" Fox began. "Any reason you…"

Before he could finish, another, smaller voice suddenly sounded from behind him. "Krystal!"

He spun around to see the small, reptilian creature jump off the ground and open its beak. "Nxuk uh ooea teadw?" It seemed to ask.

"Uh…"

However, the woman spoke before he could. "Kyte! Nxuk te ooei kxadb ooei teadw?" Her voice seemed to carry a tone of scolding as she suddenly slipped past Fox and ran to the smaller creature. As she stopped near its side, she bent down and began examining it tenderly, seemingly looking for any injuries. Understanding dawned on Fox as he watched them mutter quietly in their strange language, and he couldn't help but feel a rush of guilt for hurting the woman's… friend.

The fact that it had attacked him first had apparently vanished from his mind.

"So, uh…" He said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm guessing you don't speak Cornerian either?"

"Nxuk tat ooei juoo?"

"Yeah, I figured."

Raising a finger to his ear, he turned away from the two and contacted the Great Fox. Within seconds, Peppy was on the line.

"What's up Fox?" His old voice carried through the earpiece.

"Uh, Peppy. New situation. There's a girl down here."

"A girl?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure she's not... I mean, I don't think she's from Sauria. She's really... but I don't think… I mean… Wow…"

"Fox, you're babbling. What are you talking about?"

"There's… there's a girl here, and I need to talk to her."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. I mean… I mean I think she's speaking in Saurian, and I need you to translate."

"Of course." There was a subtle hint of amusement in his voice. "Alright, put her on."

"Okay."

However, as Fox turned around, he jumped slightly as he saw the woman's sapphire eyes staring into his own, just inches from his face.

"Ted'k mel" She said, before closing her eyes and raising a hand. Fox found himself completely paralyzed with his jaw agape as she placed her hand gently against the side of his head.

"Fox? You there?"

"Uh, Peppy? She's touching me."

"Oh, good heavens Fox! What are you…"

"No. I-I don't mean… I don't mean…"

He was quickly silenced however as the woman suddenly put a stopping hand over his muzzle, forcing his mouth shut, while her other hand remained pressed gently against his temple. She seemed to be concentrating intently on something, and her body slowly relaxed to the point that Fox was almost afraid she would fall limply to the ground.

However, after a few moments of standing like this, her eyes suddenly opened again and she stepped back from Fox, a small smile gracing her lips. Picking her staff up off of the ground and slinging it over her back, she opened her mouth.

"Greetings. My name is Krystal. It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

 **Author's note:** _Alright, this time I at least have a half valid excuse for being so long without an update. See, I had already technically completed this chapter at least a month ago, and was ready to submit it, before I realized that I wasn't happy with it at all. After a few frustrating days of trying to fix it, I decided to scrap pretty much the whole thing and start over, only keeping the parts I liked. After a whole lot of frustration, I managed to get something that I was at least a bit happier with. (After all, I'm sure that this is the part that a lot of you have been waiting for, so I wanted to make it as good as I can.)_

 _So yeah. Here it is in all it's highschool writer levels of glory. It's quite a bit longer than what I try to keep my chapters around, but I'm sure that doesn't bother anyone. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it as much as it was stressful for me to write._

 _Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Thank you all so much for viewing and reviewing and I'll see you all later._

 _Yours Truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman._


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